EMPOWER II project: Safer transport for women in sub-Saharan Africa

Challenge

The prevalence of sexual harassment on public transport in sub-Saharan Africa is known to be a serious problem affecting women and girls on a daily basis. However, there is often a lack of official data and little knowledge of how best to take effective action.

Solution

The EMPOWER II project built the capacity of transport professionals across countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Zambia. The project built the foundations on which to deliver gender-equitable, inclusive transport with improved diversity in the sector workforce as well as better safety and personal security for women and girls.

As coordinator of the project, SLR designed and managed the capacity building programme in ten sub-Saharan African countries and led the overall financial, technical and quality management processes.

SLR delivered training to national contact points in each country on the newly-developed SHE CAN Tool (Sexual Harassment Engagement – Changing Attitudes meeting Needs). The tool offers stakeholders the necessary resources to identify and tackle sexual harassment in public transport through data collection methods, interventions and case studies. Categories include: legislation and regulation; policing and surveillance methods; infrastructure design; campaigns and education; vehicle design and improvements to management practices.

Impact

Public awareness campaigns, passenger surveys, stakeholder focus groups and training workshops were delivered to equip stakeholders with the data and knowledge to use the tool to tackle sexual harassment in public transportation.

In Nigeria alone, this has resulted in the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) launching a Gender Equality Plan which is increasing recruitment of female bus drivers, conductors and ground staff. Other measures have also been delivered including bus driver training; bus station and vehicle design; street lighting; surveillance systems and public awareness campaigns.

Many of the tool’s resources are relevant to audiences both within and beyond Africa. It can be accessed here: https://shecan-tool.info