Chennai Corporation’s Gender & Policy Lab aims to improve bystander intervention to enhance safety of women

GCC's Gender and Policy Lab is intensifying efforts to enhance women's safety in Chennai, with focus on bystander intervention and community projects. The initiative, in line with '16 Days of Activism' and Int'l Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women, seeks to address critical issues through multi-stakeholder approach. Study revealed 29% of women hesitated to report sexual harassment due to social stigma, fear of not being believed, lack of awareness of reporting mechanisms, etc. 62% of surveyed women reported no one intervened during incidents of harassment. Over 40% of men witnessed sexual harassment against women, with 18% not intervening when victim was known. Recommendations include safety-enhancing infrastructure, creation of safe and inclusive spaces, gender-responsive public transportation, and effective grievance redressal.

The Gender and Policy Lab of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is intensifying efforts to enhance women’s safety, with a particular focus on bystander intervention, and community projects across the Chennai Metropolitan Area.

This is part of an initiative with the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) for the Third Master Plan, for the city. The initiative, prompted by recent events and in alignment with the ‘16 Days of Activism’ campaign and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, is aimed at addressing critical issues through a multi-stakeholder approach.

As part of their strategy, the Lab is planning to host a discussion at the Ripon Building, bringing together private companies, NGOs, and the public, with a crucial emphasis on involving men in bystander interventions while witnessing incidents of sexual harassment.

The Lab’s recent study spanned 15 zones, involving household interviews with many groups, including 100 transgender persons, 565 men, and 1,402 women. Additionally, data collection took place at various traffic junctions and public spaces, engaging 1,030 women. The Lab also conducted 17 focus group discussions with specific sections, such as school children, senior citizens, non-binary individuals and women with disabilities.

The study explored why women hesitated to report cases of sexual harassment. It showed 29% of the surveyed women indicated social stigma and victim-blaming as significant barriers. Other reasons included fear of not being believed, emotional and psychological impacts, lack of awareness of reporting mechanisms, lack of trust in the justice system, and fear of retaliation. Notably, 31% of women expressed a lack of knowledge about where or how to report incidents.

Among the findings, it was revealed that 62% of surveyed women reported that no one intervened during incidents of harassment. For those reporting intervention, 45% mentioned the police, while 38% cited known individuals and strangers.

Moreover, over 40% of surveyed men reported witnessing some form of sexual harassment against women, with 18% admitting to not intervening when the victim was known to them, and 14% reporting the same when the victim was a stranger. Of these, 20% reported that they did not intervene because the incident took place because of the woman’s clothes or behaviour. Around one-fourth of the men who did not intervene mentioned the hassle of dealing with the authorities (29%) and fear of getting attacked (25%) as the main reasons, the study found.