Harassment of women: Can gender-sensitive urban planning offer solutions?

When a school teacher in Mohammadpur recently saw a group of men in panjabis walking past her, she instinctively covered her head with an orna. She was on her way to work with another female colleague, her commute on foot the same for many years. 

But this "instinct" was new. 

After the fact, the teacher was surprised at what she had done. But like many other women in the city, her instinct was not an irrational one. 

"Have you noticed the body language of women inside the metro rail station? I use it almost regularly. I noticed they walk more relaxed, more freely there. Why is that? It's the space, it's also the maintenance of it. These things matter a lot."

Professor Akter Mahmud, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Jahangirnagar University

Journalist Jharna Roy's recent encounter with verbal harassment at Wari, mountaineer Bithi's assault at Dhanmondi, and the physical assault of floating sex workers at Shyamoli are just some of the incidents behind this rise of alertness and fear among women. And the recent spate of mob violence have further added to women's woes. 

"I think it is important to understand the realities at a time like this — post regime-fall," said Dr Umme Busra Fateha Sultana, a Women and Gender Studies professor at Dhaka University and former chairman of the department. 

She believes some people are taking advantage of the fragile state of affairs due to a sudden regime change. "The absence of police support in these cases and a lack of legal actions have fueled this uptick [in harassment of women]," she said. 

However, there have always been cases of harassment targeting women in public spaces. "Dhaka has always needed to prioritise women specific safety measures," added Dr Sultana. 

Also, during times of unrest, violence or conflicts, generally, minority groups and women become easy targets. "In the case of a woman, her female identity further adds to her minoritised identities, making her an easy target of sexual violence during times of unrest," she further explained. 

Barrister Miti Sanjana reiterated this point. 

"During any crisis, women are easy targets, it is a global phenomenon. For instance, during the Covid-19 period, we saw an uptick in domestic violence. Now, we are seeing it (harassment) happen outside the home," she said. 

Barrister Sanjana, however, does not think this is politically motivated or has a political agenda because these incidents have always occurred. "The uptick, though, is a result of the absence of police," she explained. 

A recent report by the Bangladesh Mahila Parishad said violence against women and children saw a significant rise in September, with reported cases rising by almost 27% compared to August.

What can the law do?

There are existing laws such as the Section 309 of the Penal Code and the Metropolitan Police Ordinance which address women's safety issues in public places. 

"Harassment, including eve teasing [catcalling] is considered as sexual violence by law," said Barrister Sanjana. "However, the problem here is the practical application of these laws in a time like this." 

Section 376 of the Penal Code and the Nari o Shishu Nirjatan Domon Ain (2000) have also given strong protection for women's safety and equal rights, but these are not enough, according to Advocate Shoriful Rumi. 

"We see nearly 90% of these cases fall through, i.e not stick in courts. Now we do not have any specific laws to address mob violence," he said, citing the incident in Cox's Bazar where a large crowd verbally harassed a woman for her outfit. 

The problem with these kinds of incidents is that, if not captured on film or CCTV surveillance, it becomes impossible to identify the perpetrators and take them to court with the existing laws. 

"And let's say there are eyewitnesses, but that shopkeeper who saw it may not be forthcoming with information or may actually have not seen the faces of perpetrators clearly," Advocate Rumi further said.

In the absence of a strong police force, the army has already been granted magistracy powers. 

"It can be considered that they (the Army) are also granted powers to function like mobile courts in the case of women's safety cases, and take on these cases when such incidents occur," said Barrister Sanjana.

She added that the interim government should give special priority to the safety of women because they are being targeted. 

"And before that can happen, this should be acknowledged, that the fear is real." 

Specific laws to address women's harassment in public spaces and making the legal system accessible are the ways forward, according to Advocate Rumi. 

"I am aware of a case where a female bus passenger was harassed en route to Cox's Bazar. The case was filed with the Chakariya police. She lives in Dhaka, so for every court appearance, she has to go to Chakariya in Cox's Bazar," he said. 

"I cannot think of anything else but the increased presence of law enforcement to address this," said Dr Sultana. "And for a long-term solution, a change needs to take place at the root level in terms of the mindset, how people think of women's role in society. There are still many who think it's better for women to stay indoors." 

The specific problem with Dhaka

You know how they keep talking about "representation matters"? One professor thinks the lack of female engineers and urban planners is partially to blame for why our urban design leaves out women. 

"There can be male urban planners who say they are gender-sensitive, but they truly would not understand the need of women in public spaces," Professor Akter Mahmud at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Jahangirnagar University, told The Business Standard.  

Bangladesh Institute Planners' (BIP) list of 94 members only contains names of six women.

"For example, a woman would not use the water-logged, dirty, dark public toilet, but a man can manage to," he explained. "This is a clear restriction [for women] in public spaces. Or, let's talk about the public buses. A bus conductor in a crowded bus can tell a woman 'No, don't get on. You will cause problems.' We have heard of incidents like this. 

"Female professionals are important in decision-making stages, proposals, project approval, implementation, and construction," he added, suggesting that a mix of women and men in urban planning will reflect inclusive and safe urban spaces for women. 

Iqbal Habib, urban planner, architect and member secretary of the Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA), said, "This city [the existing design] is not capable of providing safety to women." 

The very limited number of overcrowded public buses, the streets brimming with people, pavements with no shade, and the unusable public toilets make it near-impossible for women to use public spaces with ease. 

The broken window theory, which links disorder and incivility within a community to subsequent occurrences of serious crime, is applicable to lack of safety for women in cities, according to experts. 

"You see littered roads and unmaintained public spaces, it is likely to continue to uphold this 'unclean' environment, and encourage others to litter. This plays a role in women's safety issues as well," said Dr Mahmud.  

Moreover, while the public space design is not safe to begin with, architect Saiqa Iqbal Meghna also noted the lack of public spaces as well. Meghna is one of the architects behind Ashulia's Zebun Nessa Mosque. 

She added that things such as flawed urban design and transport systems and women's safety are inter-connected. 

And while women's safety issues persist abroad as well, it's not everywhere that women are being moral-policed based on their clothing, Meghna further said. 

But she also pointed to the change in cultural and social thinking processes that can amend women's safety. Also, the presence of more open and accessible public spaces are likely to see a decline in such harassment. 

To that end, Dr Akter said, "Have you noticed the body language of women inside the metro rail station? I use it almost regularly. I noticed they walk more relaxed, more freely there. Why is that? It's the space, it's also the maintenance of it. These things matter a lot." 

Otherwise, women are on guard, alert and uneasy.

"We should discourage monofunctional language in urban planning. A dedicated financial district will empty out by 5 pm, let's say. Empty streets are problematic, but utilising it with people — even street vendors — creates less likelihood for harassment of women."

CCTV surveillance has proved effective in the past to deter crimes, according to urban planner Iqbal Habib, and more can be installed to improve women's safety.  

For effective and immediate solutions, he suggested a mobile phone app similar to 999 which is dedicated to just women, "or just pedestrians and commuters. You press it, and the live location is sent out to everyone in the vicinity and their loved ones. Even if it's just someone shouting slurs at a woman. Let's say I come and just stand by you, that in itself will deter further escalation."

What Habib suggested is a communal supportive network, which he agrees, also has cons. It can be counterintuitive, but an app dedicated to just these calls can prove effective.

Lighting and presence of law enforcement — particularly at night — can also help improve women's safety in the cities. "And these can be implemented quickly, if intended," said Dr Akter.