Chennai Corporation’s Gender and Policy Lab gets international attention

Greater Chennai Corporation's Gender and Policy Lab gains recognition for improving women's safety and access to public spaces.

The Greater Chennai Corporation’s (GCC) Gender and Policy Lab initiative is set to gain national and international recognition, said civic officials.

This follows a meeting between U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Geeta Rao Gupta and Mayor R. Priya, at the Ripon Buildings on Friday. The discussions were centered around the lab’s efforts to improve women’s access to public spaces and safety, the officials said. Ms. Gupta was on a visit to learn about the lab’s initiatives on women’s access to and safety in public transit in the city.

Officials also stated that the lab’s outcome-based studies and initiatives, such as the ‘Chennai Gender and Policy Lab and Knowledge Sharing on Women’s Safety and Mobility,’ were much appreciated by the delegates. The bystander intervention programme aimed at enhancing women’s safety also drew praise. The delegates spoke about taking these initiatives to a national and global scale with the Gender and Policy Lab as the example, officials added.

Deputy Commissioner (Education) J. Vijaya Rani said details on the Gender Lab in Chennai Corporation schools were also discussed at the meeting. Additional Commissioner (Revenue and Finance) R. Lalitha and Caroline Cooney, Acting Division Chief for GBV and Cross-Cutting Issues, along with other officials, were present during the meeting.