Mobility & Logistics Photo Source: istockphoto Streamlining Grievance Redressal Mechanisms: Detering sexual harassment on public transport and urban spaces A guidance brief based on the ‘Toolkit for Enabling Gender Responsive Urban Mobility and Public Spaces’ India Gender Toolkit - Streamlining Grievance Redressal Mechanisms to deter sexual harassment on public transport and urban spaces The document was prepared by a team led by Gerald Ollivier including Mitali Nikore as lead writer, Sarah Natasha as overall coordinator, building on major contributions from the following authors: Vandana Vasudevan, Sonal Shah (The Urban Catalysts, New Delhi), Akshat Singhal and Ayushi Banerjee (The Gender Lab, Mumbai), Anju Kapoor, Philarisa Sarma Nongpiur and Divya Reddy. This document is an adaptation from the toolkit - Enabling Gender Responsive Urban Mobility and Public Spaces © 2022 The World Bank 1818 H Street NW Washington DC 20433 Telephone: 202-473-1000 Internet: www.worldbank.org 2 3 Photo Source: istockphoto Gender Toolkit - Streamlining Grievance Redressal Mechanisms to deter sexual harassment on public transport and urban spaces RATIONALE: NEED FOR AN EFFECTIVE GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL MECHANISM TO ENSURE WOMEN’S SAFETY In Delhi In Chennai In Pune In Mumbai 88% >50% 63% 75% women surveyed, women travelers women surveyed, of women railway reported facing surveyed, reported reported facing commuters sexual harassment facing sexual sexual harassment in public transport harassment, but on the bus but only are unaware of but only only women helpline 12% numbers[4] 1% 6% reported to the reported to the reported to the police[3] police[1] police[2] The gap in the prevalence and reporting study conducted in Mumbai found only of sexual harassment needs to be 2% of women commuters who had faced addressed through efficient redressal harassment approached the police and mechanisms. Evidence from Indian cities none were satisfied with the outcome.[5] In shows that while the prevalence of sexual one study of women in Delhi, respondents harassment on public transport and said they chose to simply move away from in public spaces is high, reporting, and harassers due to fears that the situation subsequent actions taken for redressal might escalate further while some women are perceived to be low. For instance, a said that they did not want to “create a Photo Source: istockphoto 4 Reasons why survivors refrain from formally reporting sexual harassment incidents Lack of Perception of crime awareness as not serious enough to report Fear of reprisals from Socio-cultural perpetrator factors Fear of Low trust facing victim in redressal blaming systems Hassle of reporting scene”.[6] Lack of awareness, characterizing for women in distress including common sexual harassment as eve-teasing and redressal cells in ULBs and STUs. When a creating a perception that it is not a serious survivor has multiple touchpoints to seek crime to be reported, fear of reprisals from redressal, they may be confused and even the perpetrator, social stigma, and fear of discouraged from reporting. Thus, ensuring victim blaming are amongst the common an efficient, unified grievance redressal reasons that deter reporting. system, which is easy to use for consumers, anonymous and integrates with ongoing The multiplicity of redressal systems efforts for prevention of violence against also discourages women from reporting women is essential for urban local bodies incidents of sexual harassment. In and public transport authorities. addition to three national helpline numbers that women in India can use for reporting incidents of sexual harassment, each state operates several helpline numbers 5 Gender Toolkit - Streamlining Grievance Redressal Mechanisms to deter sexual harassment on public transport and urban spaces WHAT CAN BE DONE TO STREAMLINE GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL MECHANISMS TO ENSURE USERS OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND SPACES HAVE A UNIFIED PLATFORM FOR REPORTING? Grievance redressal mechanisms (GRMs) provider, followed by its acknowledgement, need to be strengthened to be responsive, investigation, and subsequent redressal. At rapid and results-oriented. Grievance each stage, the user raising the complaint redressal encompasses the entire process would require sensitive handling by of a user raising a complaint with the service staff that is responsive to her needs in a I II III IV ASSESS THE GROUND STRENGTHEN BUILD CAPACITY IMPROVE SITUATION PLANNING AND AND RAISE INFRASTRUCTURE & POLICIES AWARENESS SERVICES  Understand gender differences in  Integrate a gender-  Mandate training  Enhance women’s mobility patterns lens in new and and capacity safety on public  Understand safety existing policies and building of duty transport and concerns and threat plans bearers spaces perception of public  Introduce gender  Forge partnerships  Apply a gender lens transport and public inclusivity in for raising on infrastructure spaces decision making awareness design and public  Identify gaps in and key institutions and enabling transport services current policies, community action regulations, and legal through campaigns frameworks  Identify gaps in institutional capacity and assess prevailing mindsets to deliver gender-responsive programs Select Measures Establish grievance redressal cell Create awareness Streamline of redressal standard mechanisms operating procedures 6 time-bound manner. Most importantly, Aligning various GRMs into a coherent closing complaints, connecting users to system is vital to ensure quick, effective, appropriate services and stakeholders for and responsive grievance redressal. escalation and delivering results at the Efficient inter-departmental coordination end of the process, is essential to motivate is required across city and state authorities survivors to raise complaints. to handle sexual harassment complaints received across multiple GRM channels. The key elements of an effective GRM comprise: Establishing/strengthening 1 a redressal cell within the public transport authority/ urban local body or other Streamlining standard operating procedures 2 implementing agency for managing complaints to align GRMs at city level vis a control and command center 3 Creating awareness of the GRMs available to the public. Photo Source: istockphoto 7 Gender Toolkit - Streamlining Grievance Redressal Mechanisms to deter sexual harassment on public transport and urban spaces ESTABLISH A COMMAND AND CONTROL CENTER FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT CITY LEVEL How can the command and control center Why should cities establish a command ensure sexual harassment reporting is and control center for sexual harassment streamlined? at city level? The multiple GRMs at the state and city It’s at a different height sparse and even level can be strengthened by building those collected is held with multiple capacity at the individual level and building stakeholders, thus not providing the standard operating principles (SOPs) at the complete picture. A unified command institutional level. The multiple GRMs once and control center can help in collating aligned can provide streamlined services so information from different GRM platforms that dialing any of the available numbers and ensuring quick resolution. The or reporting online / via SMS or mobile complete set of data can also be analyzed application would be handled in a similar at the control-and-command center via manner using the standard SOP. The data a dashboard, providing implementing from the multiple GRMs can be collated agencies with the appropriate information at the control-and-command center and to design evidence-based interventions. monitored for resolution. GRIEVANCES REGISTERED THROUGH MULTIPLE CHANNELS BY THE VARIOUS AGENCIES 24/7 Consolidate Data Command and Storage Control Centre for Sexual Harassment Relief/ Justice Provides intelligence based on analysis Implemen- tation Transport Police authority Helplines 8 Time-bound External agencies grievance processing per SOPs Who should manage this command and How can the command and control control center? center leverage data for prevention of sexual harassment? The center may be managed by a municipal authority at city level and operated on The center can collect data on incidence public private partnership mode, to ensure of sexual harassment using quantitative efficiency as well as deployment of cutting- parameters like the number of complaints edge technology. City police, relevant received, the number of complaints legal authorities, and PTAs should be key resolved, the proportion of complaints partners of the center. withdrawn, the place, type, and time of harassment etc. to maintain a reliable database of harassment incidents. For example, this data may be analyzed to generate heat maps across the city and identify “red zones” or hot spots of sexual harassment. Deployment of police may be increased at the hot spots. CASE STUDY New Orleans 911 – Quick Base technology Program • The New Orleans Orleans 911 call center streamlined process with overview the advanced technology of Quick Base • All 911 calls were consolidated through one center, making a more efficient response in a city of 400,000 • The center averages 50,000 calls a month Streamlining • Quick Base provides a streamlined workflow by connecting people, technology data and systems through an interface with various departments across police, fire, and medical emergencies • A single button action automatically connects the dispatcher to a third-party service that helps them locate victim’s number about 10 minutes faster than before 9 Gender Toolkit - Streamlining Grievance Redressal Mechanisms to deter sexual harassment on public transport and urban spaces Streamline standard operating procedures to align grievance redressal mechanisms at city level Why are standard operating procedures leadership of a large ULB in the city or by required for grievance redressal in cases the command and control center for sexual of sexual harassment in public transport harassment. The SOPs should consider and public spaces? views of relevant partner agencies – such as PTAs, the police, government lawyers, To ensure staff at ULBs / PTAs / police amongst others. stations/ helplines/other implementing agencies respond in a similar fashion based What are the essential elements of on the complaint and have the knowledge SOPs for grievance redressal for sexual to sensitively handle and escalate instances harassment in public transport and of sexual harassment in public transport public spaces? and public spaces, it helps to establish clear SOPs at city level. This can help in reducing SOPs typically include guidance for staff the response time and enhance support for of ULBs, PTAs and other implementing victims. agencies, as well as for citizens on the following areas: Who should develop these standard operating procedures for grievance  Define and detail key steps in the process redressal in cases of sexual harassment – Reporting | Processing | Resolution in public transport and public spaces?  Fix clear timelines for each process from SOPs can be formulated under the the PTA / ULB side Photo Source: istockphoto 10  Fix institutional responsibility for each How can the SOPs ensure alignment of process, clearly differentiating internal different GRMs? responsibility and responsibility of external stakeholders SOPs can lay out the precise steps to be followed by implementing agencies, so that  Provide clear steps and support available linkages and alignments across GRMs are for by-standers and witnesses created in the city. For instance, SOPs can define that if a city-wide telephonic / SMS It will help to institute a clear no-pay loss / WhatsApp helpline is already available policy for all PTA / ULB staff, i.e., they will for women in distress, it may also be used not lose pay if they appear as witnesses in to report sexual harassment of women a sexual harassment case & provide legal in public transport and public spaces, support if required and request managers of the helpline to note these complaints under a separate category. All of the information coming into various platforms is then channeled to the command and control center. Effective reporting and post reporting services by grievance redressal cells Ease reporting Actions post reporting SMS/ mobile application Communicate clear and anonymous reporting SOPs to be followed post reporting Allow reporting up to 30 Designate officials with days after the incident responsibility of follow ups Ensure presence of Support frontline staff women officials to register who agree to be witnesses reports to the incident Training and sensitization of frontline staff for taking reports 11 Gender Toolkit - Streamlining Grievance Redressal Mechanisms to deter sexual harassment on public transport and urban spaces CASE STUDY Grievance Redressal Mechanism - Chennai Program  A grievance redressal mechanism has been made available to overview assure 24x7 access to help through multiple modes for women in distress.  Provisions have been made to receive complaints in-person at police stations or through helpline numbers, online complaint forms, text messages, emails and mobile apps. Registering  Police operates helplines on 100 and 1091 numbers to provide complaints immediate assistance within minutes of the call. All Women Police through Stations are available for registering a complaint in person. helplines  The Social Welfare Department also runs a helpline – 181 - and connects calls to the police in case of emergencies. The police initiates action to aid and the helpline responder remains on call to provide moral support.  The Chennai Metro-Rail Limited (CMRL) and Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) maintain helplines which provide emergency help in addition to addressing queries through calls or emails. The CMRL control center sends security personnel to the respective metro station while MTC connects to the police. Online  The Tamil Nadu Police provides an online complaint registration Complaint system available on their website in English and Tamil. Registration  The complainant needs to fill basic information regarding name, district, gender, contact details, description of crime incident and the place of occurrence of the crime.  The complaint is sent to the respective district’s deputy commissioner of police and is then redirected to the local police station. Mobile  The Tamil Nadu Police runs the Kaaval Uthavi mobile application Application and provides users the facility to immediately alert the police in an emergency using a SOS button.  Pressing the SOS button on the application’s home page starts a 5 second countdown following which the police is sent an alert with the user’s information, location and a short video from the back camera of the mobile phone.  The app also allows women to raise complaints along with location, time and kind of harassment. This facility will encourage more women to complain hassle-free. 12 Creating Awareness of Redressal Mechanisms How can frontline staff and duty bearers redressal mechanisms through sustained be made aware of redressal mechanisms mass media and social media campaigns. to respond quickly? ULBs, PTAs, and implementing agencies can partner with community-based civil Regular redressal training is required society organizations to promote redressal for drivers, conductors, security, and mechanisms through advocacy efforts. other frontline staff operating public Large and multiple posters within buses, transport facilities, as they are often the metros, at bus stops, and metro stations can first responders in crisis situations and also help in the recall. Advertisements on witnesses to sexual harassment. Thus, it radio, television and social media platforms becomes important to clearly make the can also complement the efforts. staff aware of their duties in the process of providing redressal, equip them with How can community engagement be skills to intervene as well as assure them undertaken? of the support available to them from their employer. Implementing agencies may go beyond awareness campaigns of grievance redressal How can awareness campaigns alleviate helplines to also shift mindsets and devise the problem of under-reporting? broader community engagement plans including social and behavioral change Commuters often are not aware of helpline campaigns for promoting gender equality numbers or do not remember long 10-digit outcomes. helpline numbers easily. Authorities, thus, can raise awareness of helplines and other CASE STUDY Report It To Stop It Campaign - London Campaign  A campaign called ‘Report It To Stop It’ is tackling sexual harassment details and assault on public transit by encouraging women to report unwanted behaviors  The campaign provides break down on how to report unwanted sexual behavior and what follows reporting Key Results  Results show that the initiative did increase reporting of unwanted sexual behavior and that this increase was not due to a rise in the prevalence of harassment 13 Gender Toolkit - Streamlining Grievance Redressal Mechanisms to deter sexual harassment on public transport and urban spaces For more information: The World Bank Gender and Urban Mobility Toolkit Please refer to the World Bank Gender and cities. It presents a four-pillar framework Urban Mobility Toolkit for more detailed for designing gender-responsive urban information on the guidelines to be mobility programs and public spaces. followed to address gender concerns in Inclusion and safety in public transport and public transportation and public spaces on public spaces in cities are the two central safety standards. The toolkit also includes themes discussed in this toolkit. sample terms of references and survey questions in its annexures, which are The toolkit is divided into two volumes, intended to serve as a point of reference with the first volume focused on high- for public transportation authorities and level guidance for policymakers, while the implementing agencies to follow in order to second provides a “How-to” guide including ensure gender-responsive urban mobility practical tools for implementing agencies, planning. including guidelines on how to plan, design and implement a participatory, inclusive This toolkit is meant to act as a guidance urban mobility program. note for government agencies, groups and institutions that develop programs for safer and more inclusive transport for women in VOLUME I VOLUME II ‘WHAT-TO-DO’ ‘HOW-TO-GUIDE’ NOTE FOR POLICY FOR MAKERS IMPLEMENTING AGENCIES 14 References [1] JAGORI and UN Women. 2011. Safe Cities Free of Violence Against Women and Girls. Delhi, India: JAGORI. http://www.jagori.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Baseline- Survey_layout_for-Print_12_03_2011.pdf [2] Valan, Michael. 2020. “Victimology of Sexual Harassment on Public Transportation: Evidence from India”. Delhi, India. 2020. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/ full/10.1177/2516606920927303 [3] Indian Express. 2010. “Eveteasing incidents high in PMPML buses: survey.” Indian Express, November 24, 2010. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/eveteasing- incidents-high-in-pmpml-buses-survey/ [4] Hindustan Times. 2016. “One in four women harassed during local train commute, reveals survey.” Hindustan Times, July 26, 2016. https://www.hindustantimes.com/ mumbai-news/one-in-four-women-harassed-during-local-train-commute-reveals- survey/story-J3iLx9T7MjtkZNrRWuhpmN.html [5] Bharucha and Khatri. 2018. The Sexual Street Harassment Battle: Perceptions of Women in Urban India. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323713194_The_Sexual_ Street_Harassment_Battle_Perceptions_of_Women_in_Urban_India [6] Dhillon and Bakaya. 2014. Street Harassment: A Qualitative Study of the Experiences of Young Women in Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F2158244014543786 [7] The Economic Times. 2022. “Govt mulling integrating helpline numbers to improve emergency response.” The Economics Times, April 17, 2022. https://economictimes. indiatimes.com/news/india/govt-mulling-integrating-helpline-numbers-to-improve- emergency-response/articleshow/90890614.cms?from=mdr To understand more about what needs to be done to tread towards gender-inclusive urban mobility click here for Volume I of the toolkit - Enabling Gender Responsive Urban Mobility and Public Spaces To understand how to plan, design and implement a participatory, inclusive urban mobility program refer to the Volume II of the toolkit 15