J

akarta should do more to consider the experiences and perspectives of women in the development of infrastructure projects, a group of experts has said.

According to the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Jakarta was ranked as the ninth worst megacity for women in 2017.

“Last year, we also did a study on women’s perceptions of safety in Jakarta, with respondents reporting experiences of harassment and violence,” national program officer of UN Women Indonesia Iriantoni “Toni” Almuna said on Tuesday at a discussion on gender perspectives in city development organized by UN Women Indonesia and the Institution for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) Indonesia.

In 2017, UN Women did a study of 442 spots in East Jakarta, South Jakarta and West Jakarta, and found that 13 percent of the spots were considered unsafe, 20 percent marginal and 23 percent reasonably safe for women.

Toni said that such studies raised concerns that made gender perspectives in city planning and policy important. “If development does not involve marginalized groups, it will hinder their access to the city’s facilities such as public transportation as well as employment and education,” he said.

He said that such safety concerns could also prevent some women from reaching their full potential, adding that safety was needed for all residents, not only women.

Ineke Indraniani of the gender mainstreaming unit of the Public Works and Housing Ministry said that protection of the marginalized extended beyond women, and also included the elderly, children and other marginalized groups.

“[We need to] pay attention to the different needs of men, women, the elderly, children and other marginalized groups,” she said

Ineke said that infrastructure development should consider the safety, security and convenience needs of all residents.

She said her work at the ministry sought to mainstream gender perspectives in infrastructure
development.

Kapal Perempuan capacity building coordinator Ulfa Kasim said that city development must prioritize women’s safety, and that Kapal Perempuan encouraged educated women to participate more in society.

In Jakarta, 827 women from Bidaracina and Jatinegara in East Jakarta and Rawajati, South Jakarta, have enrolled in the Jakarta chapter of Sekolah Perempuan, a forum through which women receive education about their rights.

She said that the school had succeeded in encouraging the women to participate more in their community unit (RW) meetings (musrenbang) to advocate for women’s needs, regardless of the gender of the proposer of the program.

“It’s not about programs being proposed by women, but how women’s needs are addressed [at the meetings],” she said.

The Jakarta administration had tried to improve the accessibility of public spaces by renovating sidewalks, said Jakarta Bina Marga road agency planning division head, Riri Asnita.

“By building safe and comfortable sidewalks, people will be happy to walk and [gradually] switch to using public transportation, which will be easier to access,” Riri said.

She said that with around 1,600 kilometers of arterial roads in the city, there should be at least 2,600 km of sidewalks, which the city has continued to build and prioritize in government building areas as well as centers of social, economic and cultural activity.

She said that one of the works of the agency was the newly revamped sidewalks on Jl. Sudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin, which have also been equipped with pelican crossings.