Safecity Monthly Updates : January 2017
Safecity is growing exponentially and we’re constantly working hard to translate our vision to reality. Because we don’t want you to miss out on our work, we’ve decided to put together a monthly column to tell you about what we’ve been up to. You can sign up for our newsletter here.
Feminist Rani- Special Edition
In light of the mass molestation that took place in Bengaluru, people from all over the country have been getting together to speak against the atrocities faced by women which were followed by incomprehensible comments.
In Feminist Rani’s Special Edition on Women’s March held at Deepak talkies, Elsa Dsilva, our Founder, was one of the main speakers amongst six others. Each of them spoke about their own experiences dealing with sexual harassment. They talked about how they felt about the issue of sexual harassment and urged the audience to unite and take a stand at the March taking place the next day.
Being an open mic night, the platform was open to anyone else who wished to speak up and share their opinions about how they feel. Jessica Xalxo, our Volunteer Engagement Officer, stepped up and really moved everybody with her powerful words. The event was filled with various personalities and a variety of insights and evaluations. Some of the members of our Campus Ambassador’s team too attended the event.
Elsa with our Campus Ambassador team members
Elsa, with Jessica and Mubaraka
Jessica reading- What will you tell your girls about 2017?
Workshops creating awareness about Child Sexual Abuse
Safecity (The Red Dot Foundation) and The Red Elephant Foundation have put together a campaign to encourage women to take back public spaces. In this slide-over photo essay, we share with you what a public space would look like if women were rendered completely invisible.
This is the first in the series of Invisible Women. If you wish to contribute to this Photo Essay and movement, please do send in your entry to us.
Hudson Lane is a popular lane very close to North Campus in Delhi, filled with popular cafes which are accessed by the young college students multiple times in a day. Safecity decided to do a pilot awareness campaign during the #16DaysofActivism with a few of these cafes to understand how they ensure the safety of their customers and of their staff members as well. We also circulated our posters which talk about safety and the laws around it.
Recently, Jyotsna Kalra and a Campus Ambassador team also followed up with these cafes and were glad to find that some of the cafes were as cheerful as before and enthusiastically talked to them. They also agreed on showing their notice board where the poster was stuck! Some of them also mentioned that their staff members had read the brochures and has discussions around it.
Abhyuday
Elsa Dsilva was a member on a Panel Discussion on “Future of social entrepreneurship in India” on 21st January 2017 at Abhyuday, IIT Bombay‘s social Festival 2017.
Woman of Substance Award from the Rotary Foundation
Elsa received the Woman of Substance Award from Rotary Foundation and Mr. Rajendra Ruia at the Rotary International District Conference.
The RIDC also expressed it gratitude by sponsoring a paediatric heart surgery for one young child with a congenital heart disorder in Safecity‘s name under its “Touching Little Hearts” project.
Prevalence of sexual harassment across India based on its types
With the aim is to explore increasingly appealing and informative data visualisations using state-of-the-art design and viz tools on our data and data surrounding our cause, our team of data analysts are working along with Rajshree Deshmukh, a volunteer from the National Institute of Design to create patterns of the incidents of sexual harassment occurring in India according to their geographic location.
Sexual abuse, in general, shows high prevalence all over the country. With the help of on-ground members in Delhi and Mumbai we have been able to create awareness about sexual harassment and map more qualitative data in these areas thus showing high occurrence of serious physical abuse in Delhi and verbal abuse in Maharashtra.
We are trying to expand our reach to other parts of the country as well, in the attempt to create awareness as that is the first step in aiding people to report errant behaviour.
Safecity Emerging Leaders
Safecity is celebrating the journey of people who have emerged as leaders as our campaigns progressed in their communities through our blog series “Safecity Emerging Leaders”. Read the inspiring stories of these individuals who are passionate about making their neighbourhoods safer with Safecity and have taken action in their own special ways.
Read this month’s Emerging Leader Viraj’s story on our blog here.
When we asked Viraj about his experience doing an internship with Safecity, this is what he had to say –
“I would like to say that it has been a wonderful experience till now. As an intern at Safecity I have learned a multitude of things. My graphic designing skills have been honed and I have also learned to manage my time more efficiently. Apart from these, I would like to add that Safecity is doing a great job by fighting for gender equality and I feel honoured to be a part of such an organisation. At the end of my term I can say that my talents and efforts have played a part in changing the way our society thinks and I’ve gained a perspective which is discrimination-free!”
Know Our Team
Know Our Team is a new blog series that attempts to bring to you the stories of our team, share our experiences, why we do what we do and special moments that have left an indelible mark in each of our lives.
Read this month’s blog by our COO and Director, Supreet K Singh, who writes about her experience with Safecity being one with it and breathing in the magic that it creates in people through the work we do, here.
“It seems lost, this planet, in this vast intriguing space and I wish that we can move it closer to its core that nurtures compassion and love and music and folklores. I am walking the road to the heart of our existence… climbing down to the catacombs that hoard all those feelings…raw, organic and real to let them out.. free the tangled pasts.. to let our world breathe again.. to give ourselves another chance… to value and respect what we lost.”
TweetChats
Through our tweetchats we are trying to facilitate important conversations around various issues related to gender in general and women’s issues in particular.
Our curators this month conducted three TweetChats around SDG 17, which is, Partnerships for the Goals, discussing various aspects of it and how partnerships can aid in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals.
Check out the storified tweetchats here- Partnerships to achieve safer spaces, Partnerships to enhance public education and Partnerships to reduce inequalities.
- On 2nd February, Elsa will be speaking at the Global Shapers Summit on panel discussion regarding “Being a Millennial in Young India“
- On 7th February, Safecity and the US Consulate Mumbai will be facilitating a session for NGOs, Lawyers, Corporates and Institutions who want to learn more about the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women). This session will be conducted by Prof. Kishu Daswani of GLC College on Feb 7th, Tuesday, from 3 – 5 pm.
- On 8th March- International Women’s Day, Elsa D’Silva will be receiving the Vital Voices Global Leadership Award in Washington DC at the Kennedy Centre.
- On 21st March, Safecity will be hosting a parallel event at the NGO CSW61 Forum in New York on Mainstreaming SDG5 in the New Urban Agenda through Data and Technology at 2:30 PM EST in Hardin Room at the Church Center for the United Nations.
