Safer cities hold the key to women's well-being

With the new government in Delhi, we now have several "double-engine" governments across states. This gives hope that women's safety issues will get the priority promised election after election. The AAP government had proposed increased surveillance as a solution, but is this effective?

- Lalita Panicker

A Woman's Place is in a Safe City, a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Data+Feminism Lab in collaboration with Point of View, Red Dot Foundation, and several Kolkata-based civil society organisations, gives us some insights. The study found that under the Safe City Project, 46% of the Nirbhaya Fund is allocated to surveillance and policing. The research questions whether State surveillance effectively prevents the violence women face in public spaces. It also examines the role of digital surveillance in shaping women's visions of safe cities and proposes six areas for reallocating State funds to realise this vision. While surveillance can be empowering, it cannot replace on-ground measures that enhance safety for women. For instance, well-lit streets are crucial; a CCTV camera is ineffective without proper lighting.