Locations“Call Umida”: an initiative to make streets safer for girls and women
September 15, 2022
“Call Umida” launch PSA
Origins of the idea
During the last several years, the Government of Uzbekistan has placed gender equality at the top of its agenda. The prioritized issues include combatting gender-based violence and increasing the number of women in both public and private sector managerial positions, and in higher education.
To support the Government to achieve progress with its goals for gender equality and women’s empowerment, the United Nations Development Programme is partnering with private companies on institutional gender transformation, combatting gender stereotypes and preventing gender-based violence. UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) takes a multistakeholder approach to protecting, providing and implementing policies and practices on women’s rights, and has integrated gender considerations into all aspects of its work.
UNDP Accelerator Lab Uzbekistan Team
One of such initiatives aimed to reduce gender-based violence was pursued and implemented at UNDP’s Accelerator Lab in Uzbekistan, which is part of a network of 91 idea incubators that test innovative approaches to achieving meaningful development results in 115 countries worldwide. In November 2021, UNDP’s Accelerator Lab Uzbekistan organized a collective intelligence session to collaboratively explore gender-related issues. The effort engaged one of the most popular social media platforms, "NeMolchi.uz" (Do not be silent), which raises the most urgent and vital topics related to violence against women. A quick assessment of the platform revealed that many posts, especially during the last several months, were related to street harassment and abuse. On the platform, many girls and women reported that while walking on the streets, especially in the evenings, they felt very unsafe and were often harassed. Many said they were stalked, catcalled, abused physically, sexually, verbally, and/or psychologically. Some of the abuse and harassment was even targeted at young girls.
According to the STOP Street Harassment (SSH) international nonprofit organization, gender-based street harassment includes unwanted comments, gestures, and actions forced on a stranger in a public place.[1] Moreover, Action Aid UK research showed that violence is particularly widespread in urban communities. Globally vast majority of women experience violence in the streets of their cities, states Action Aid UK. It was demonstrated that 89% of women in Brazil, 86% in Thailand, and 79% in India reported harassment and abuse.[2]
Data on gender-based street harassment in Uzbekistan are not yet available. Still, based on discussions on social media and anecdotal reports, one can reliably ascertain this is an issue that should be addressed through urgent action and attention from diverse groups of society.
The UNDP Accelerator Lab in Uzbekistan pursued innovative solutions to the challenge of street harassment with two primary assumptions: 1) there are no intimate or close relations between abuser and survivor; and 2) the act of abuse is immediate and short-term. Thus, the measure of physical separation from the abuser or harasser by providing safe space could be the most effective solution.
In many countries around the world, this type of solution is implemented by civil society, NGOs (Non-Governmental Organization), and female activists. In the case of Uzbekistan with its challenging NGO legislation, UNDP pioneered a grass-root initiative. Considering that partnerships would be key to the success of such an initiative, the availability and interest of local partners were mapped to provide safe spaces in Tashkent city and to scale up the initiative to other locations across the country.
Based on the results of initial stakeholder surveys and interviews, a pilot initiative dubbed “Call Umida” was formulated and launched. Umida means “hope” and is a common name for girls; in this case it implies hope for a supportive safe place when one experiences street harassment.
How it works
When someone experiences harassment and uses the code word at one of the partner locations, she will be provided with support and a safe place to be physically protected from her pursuer. In a calm and safe environment, she can decide a) to wait and continue her trip when she feels safe; b) to call relatives/friends or c) if she feels a severe danger – to call the police. If it is a child asking for help, the guidelines recommend the staff member contact her parents immediately.
The “Call Umida” initiative cannot provide any legal, psychological, or mental help, but it strives to offer safe places where victims can call for support. For those who might need such services, there are leaflets with useful information on where to access them.
Engaging the private sector
The initiative offers an opportunity for the corporate sector and civil society to be engaged in finding solutions to social issues in Uzbekistan. Considering the UN Guidelines on Businesses and Human Rights and the role business enterprises can play in promoting and respecting women’s rights, this initiative was offered to numerous private companies operating in Tashkent.
As a first step, we decided to reach out to the most popular private companies, such as grocery stores, coffee shops, and pharmacies, that have long working hours and locations in different parts of the city. We set up a meeting with the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Korzinka – one of the largest and best-known retail chains –to discuss our initiative. We have received a great response and willingness to join the #CallUmida initiative.
Signing of MOU with Korzinka.uz
To raise awareness of the initiative, the team also contacted a wide range of media representatives and arranged for the filming of a Public Service Announcement (PSA). The electronic mass media platform "Ne Molchi” became the primary information partner. In parallel, we worked on designing logos and visual materials. The entire team at UNDP Uzbekistan came together and joined forces, inspired by the importance and potential change the initiative could inspire.
"Call Umida" logo
The initiative was launched on 4 March 2022, just before the International Women's Day as part of a campaign to reinforce awareness on the rights of women and the importance of having safe cities and spaces. Representatives from local governments, civil society and the private sector participated actively in the launch, communicating their understanding of the negative impacts of gender-based street harassment. The first partners to join the initiative included large supermarket chains, restaurants, computer game clubs, pharmacy chains, co-working centers, and academia. Local influencers joined the discussions and shared information about the initiative with their networks. The strength of social media in uniting and engaging people from diverse groups around an important topic was evident and became one of the most essential tools for engaging the broader public. The initiative also resonated well in local and foreign media and even went on the national TV.
Implementation and follow-up
To ensure local partners would apply the guidelines properly to keep users of the network safe from harm, a set of instructional videos were prepared and shared. Additionally, a set “first-aid” guidelines for survivors was prepared and distributed to all the safe centres. A map with locations of over 200 safe places in Tashkent city and beyond was prepared and posted on the www.CallUmida.uz website. One of the supporters of the initiative created a chatbot on Telegram Messenger with exact locations for easier use.
The “Call Umida” initiative became immediately popular and well known. Even during the first month after the launch we received a huge number of emails expressing an interest in getting involved. University students and individuals wrote with expressions of appreciation or creating a forum for discussions on gender-based street harassment and important efforts for making our cities safer for girls and women.
Now six months past the launch, more than 1,700 frontline staff in partners’ companies have taken the “First Aid” training on helping the survivors of gender-based street harassment. To this day, we have received 57 applications and formalized 17 partnerships with more on the way.
Snapshot from callumida.uz
With Call Umida, there is always a space for volunteers to get engaged, too. So far, we have a network of 62 volunteers who are devoted Call Umida supporters and happy to contribute to spreading the word. During the first week of April, which marks the International Anti-Street Harassment Week, we conducted an on-the-spot outreach campaign at the safe place locations who were sharing information about the mission of Call Umida and how it works to the visitors and passers-by in the neighborhood. The outreach was amplified by local influencers who supported the campaign and shared information about “Call Umida” via their information channels, reaching hundreds of thousands of their followers.
“Call Umida” outreach campaign during Anti Street Harassment Week
During the celebration organized by the UN family in Central Park of Tashkent, volunteers helped to raise awareness about street harassment and the initiative objectives.
Outreach campaign during International Youth Day celebration in Central Park, Tashkent
When reflecting on the response, we already see that the initiative is timely and relevant. We also see potential for scaling up “Call Umida”. For example, we are now launching a survey that would help us create interactive maps to share locations where gender-based street harassment cases occur most often. Based on this mapping, local municipalities could be informed on safe vs unsafe parts of the localities in Tashkent City for future advocacy and for local activities such as installing streetlights and monitoring cameras.
Insights and lessons:
- The monitoring of Call Umida response mechanisms showed that the training mechanism needs to be revised, visual reminders to be developed and handed out to staff as refresher tools.
- The initiative would benefit from a dedicated communication channel and a team in charge of outreach and raising awareness.
- The campaign’s inclusivity needs further improvement to be more accessible for the people with disabilities.
- Call Umida initiative identified and raised other burning issues of gender-based violence in society and importance to address them.
To learn more about #CallUmida Initiative, visit callumida.uz
[1] https://stopstreetharassment.org/resources/definitions/
[2] In a YouGov poll carried out May 2016 ActionAid surveyed 2,500 women aged 16 and over in major cities across Brazil, India, Thailand and the UK.
