Women´s Right to the City in the COVID-19 Crisis and in the Recovery
It has been found that women live cities differently from men. From their design to their access, including security issues, they have a different effect and impact: the structures leave out the specific needs of women who move around with children, with loads, pregnant women or with some disability condition, among other variables. Access to collective transport favors routes linked to mobility for working reasons, without considering short routes that are those that mark the daily lives of women (schools, markets, services, among others). Security is a pending challenge for democracy in practically all the countries of Latin America and the world, while violence in transportation and when walking on the streets, manifested as sexual harassment and even rape, is a perception of imminent risk that significantly limits mobilization schedules, up to the effect of abandonment or postponement of studies and / or recreation, given the various dangers. Everything raised is inherent to a patriarchal society and the construction of inequalities and subordinations of women and other identities.
The context of the Pandemic has deepened the structural conditions of Latin American and world society, of growing inequalities. All situations have been exacerbated exponentially in the world in the framework of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Violence, Care and the Informal and Solidarity Economy, are the three critical issues that the pandemic placed on the agenda of women’s rights and daily lives.
What makes some women leaders so determinedly supportive of other women in this context?
The clarity, focus and installed capacity of these leaders is associated with their active participation in continuous and systematic training processes, as well as in the application of methodologies aimed at the construction of safe spaces and safe cities, from a preventive perspective (including prevention of recidivism in situations of gender violence against women). They have acquired knowledge about their rights, in particular their right to a life free of violence; on the institutional framework in favor of women, both at the national, municipal or district level; and on the competence of the justice administration institutions, regarding how, when and where to file complaints; in addition to tools for advocacy with local authorities, positioning issues of safe spaces free of violence on local agendas, as well as those related to equitable spaces, thus enhancing the leadership of local women.
The event will take place 11:30-1:00PM CST/ 1:30PM-3:00PM EST.