Seoul
City Government, Community / Citizen Group
Metropolitan Area
Ongoing since 2016
Fostering safe environments for women
Since 2013, Seoul Metropolitan Government has been fostering safe environments for women throughout the city with programs for women’s safety, specifically with the rollout of Safe City for Women initiatives (Version 1.0 to 3.0) and the launch of the Ansimi mobile app in 2016.
Building upon the Women’s Safety Metropolitan City 1.0 and 2.0 programs, Seoul Metropolitan Government launched the 3.0 program in 2017 with its key focus to shift from “hardware” (infrastructure) to “software” (values) and to further ensure safety in all aspects of daily life.
The murder of 23year-old woman in the public toilet of a karaoke bar in Seocho-gu, in May 2016 is the motivation behind the Safe City for Women 3.0 program. The victim was unknown to the assailant who claimed he committed the crime out of his hatred for women. At the suggestion of a citizen, a memorial site was established at exit 10 of Gangnam Station, close to the scene of the incident. Social concern grew around the issue of misogyny, with thousands of positive notes and flowers expressing their condolences for the victim and all victims of male violence.
In this context, the Safe City for Women 3.0 project was launched and embraced the following objectives:
“Equal Seoul”
“Respectful Seoul”
“Safe Seoul”
The following programs have been implemented in the framework of Safe City for Women 3.0:
Safe Return Scouts
A program that helps women get home safely at night by arranging escorts for them.
Safe Delivery Service
Installing of Safe Delivery Boxes in neighborhoods with high populations of women to response to the public alarm at the growing number of crimes committed by offenders disguised as deliveryman.
Safe Neighborhoods for Women
Supporting local communities in making their own neighborhoods safer for women by providing necessary spaces, expertise, and funding to launch community-led safety initiatives and training local citizens to be safety leaders.
Safety House for Women
Convenience stores and other public places throughout the city were designated as Safety House for Women, which are places where women in danger can get help.
Brighter Streets and Parking Lots
Increased lights in streets, parking lots and other public places.
Home Patrol Service for women Living Alone
This program includes automated patrol system and installation of emergency alarms and wireless detectors on doors.
Ansimi, a mobile application linked to a 24/7 network dedicated to women’s safety, was launched in 2016.
Women Safety Sheriffs were appointed and organized to search 26,549 locations for video cameras filming women illegally and conduct 185 public campaigns.
The Gender Sensitive Disaster Management Manual and gender safety indicators were developed to ensure women’s safety in disaster situations.
The lead agencies for the project are Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Foundation of Women and Family (SFWF).
As the Safe City for Women 3.0 program is focusing on social values, results are difficult to measure.
A gender-equal city is a city safe for women, and a city safe for women is a city safe for everyone. A more difficult and important task than changing the physical environment is establishing a culture of gender equality. Seoul Metropolitan Government set out to educate the public on women’s issues through public campaigns, social media, and public contests. Such efforts made a considerable and noticeable difference, and the city continues to reinforce and expand their contents.
The power of collective intelligence and civic participation: measures based upon direct proposals from citizens and over 30 discussions held by a taskforce consisting of experts, activists, government officials and citizens.
Major cities in Korea have begun to benchmark and adopt Seoul’s preventive approach to sexual violence. The Safe Company Service, for instance, is at work in 10 other major cities in Korea at present, including Busan and Daegu. The Women’s Safety Patrol Houses program will soon be extended to six other cities, including Incheon and Yeosu whose officials are currently consulting their counterparts in Seoul on the matter. The central government has also begun to promote the Safer Neighborhoods for Women and the Home Patrol Service programs based on national directives. These programs have attracted attention from news outlets around the world as well, including NHK of Japan and ABC of Australia.
Women’s Safety Metropolitan City 2.0 (Presentation from Seoul Metropolitan Government)
Safe City for Women 3.0 (Presentation from Seoul Metropolitan Government)
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