Exploration Beyond Borders: Female Space Pioneers Confronting Security, Freedom, and Community Norms
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In a world where women often face safety concerns, harassment, and inadequate institutional responses in public spaces, a global movement is rising to challenge the status quo. This movement seeks to reclaim public spaces and affirm the fundamental right of women to be seen, heard, and valued.
Koel Pandey, an advertising professional based in Kolkata, emphasizes the importance of naming places after significant women as a way to show social rank and hierarchy. However, few public spaces memorialize women, and women are often underrepresented in the naming of streets and public spaces. Mapbox, a US-based company, found that, on average, only 27.5% of the streets surveyed in seven major cities are named after women.
The Why Loiter movement encourages women to intentionally loiter, claiming presence and asserting their right to public spaces. Jasmeen Patheja, founder and director of Blank Noise, emphasizes the importance of new narratives that trust in women's right to be explorers and wanderers. Women are increasingly becoming active authors of the city's evolving story, reshaping urban spaces into environments that celebrate diversity, safety, and freedom.
Shilo Shiv Suleman envisions more female artists in the streets, sparking social justice conversations and turning urban corners once marked by trauma into expressions of beauty and resilience. Across India, several women-led organizations are working to spotlight stories of women navigating space and boundaries. The Women Walk at Midnight project invites women to explore urban spaces late at night, creating a shared narrative of courage and curiosity.
In response to these issues, several notable initiatives and projects worldwide focus on women's safety, representation, and empowerment in public spaces, addressing areas like online safety, transport accessibility, gender-based violence, and peacebuilding.
One such initiative is the Women and Girls in STEM Forum (Europe), an annual event led by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology in partnership with the European Commission. This event empowers girls aged 14-19 to lead innovations tackling issues like phishing, password security, and online privacy challenges, promoting women's leadership in digital public spaces.
The World Bank supports gender-sensitive transport initiatives that enhance women's safety and mobility in public transport globally. For example, Quito, Ecuador, implemented a metro project with harassment reporting systems and gender sensitivity training for staff, resulting in 96% of women feeling safe and increasing women's workforce participation. Similarly, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Cartão Move Mulher program offers free public transport to women experiencing domestic violence, helping them access shelters and legal aid.
U.N. Women’s 15 Calls to Action for Gender Equality advocate policy actions that promote women’s safety and representation in public decision-making, including ending gender-based violence, protecting women in conflict zones, and increasing women's participation in peace negotiations and political processes.
A World Bank policy paper highlights how the perceived risk of street harassment influences women's choices, such as selecting safer but lower-quality educational institutions, which affects their long-term human capital and workforce participation. This research underscores the critical link between public safety and women's empowerment.
The Fearless Collective, founded by artist Shilo Shiv Suleman, transforms spaces of fear and silence into vibrant canvases of empowerment through public art interventions. Together, these initiatives exemplify efforts ranging from grassroots empowerment to systemic policy reforms that improve women’s safety, representation, and empowerment in public spaces across various contexts globally.
While women have made significant progress in gaining access to public spaces, there is still a gap between their lived realities and media narratives about women breaking all barriers. These initiatives are shaping a future where urban life reflects and respects the experiences and contributions of all its inhabitants, reclaiming public space and the fundamental right to be seen, heard, and valued.
[1] European Institute of Innovation and Technology. (n.d.). Women and Girls in STEM Forum. Retrieved from https://eit.europa.eu/women-and-girls-in-stem-forum [2] World Bank. (n.d.). Gender-Sensitive Transport Initiatives. Retrieved from https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/gender/brief/gender-sensitive-transport-initiatives [3] U.N. Women. (n.d.). 15 Calls to Action for Gender Equality. Retrieved from https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/take-action/16days-of-activism [4] World Bank. (n.d.). Research on Women’s Safety and Education. Retrieved from https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/gender/brief/research-on-womens-safety-and-education
- The Women and Girls in STEM Forum, an annual event led by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, empowers young girls to lead innovations in health-and-wellness tech, bridging the gap in women's representation in STEM fields and fostering a safer digital public space for women.
- TheCartão Move Mulher program in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, offers free public transportation to women experiencing domestic violence, ensuring their access to essential services like health-and-fitness centers and promoting women's safety and empowerment in fitness-and-exercise spaces.
