Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety policy paper on gender equality

The Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety have released a policy brief on the interconnection between gender, road safety and mobility. The team behind the brief want the document to be used as an advocacy tool to engage with decision-makers in an effort to make transportation more inclusive for all genders.

The issues explored in the policy brief highlight the disparities in experience of public transport and road accidents based on gender. Mobility systems have been designed for men and don’t factor in the socio-economic and bodily differences between genders.

Some of the key facts are as follows:

• Higher prevalence of sexual harassment or violence experienced by women and girls on public transport or in public spaces
• Greater risk of being seriously injured pedestrians and face higher risks as vehicle passengers than men
• Women are disproportionately impacted by road traffic crashes, particularly women in low-income households
• Unequal representation in transport sector as only 17% of jobs are occupied by women
• Vehicle safety technologies are designed and tested in consideration of male bodies, not women and therefore do not protect women as effectively

These issues directly affect three Sustainable Development Goals: gender equality (SDG 5), to halve global road deaths by 2030 (See SDG 3.6: Good Health and Wellbeing) and to create safe, accessible, affordable and sustainable transport systems for all (See SDG 11.2: Sustainable Cities and Communities).

The paper was written by the SDG Champions of the Youth Coalition which include Laura Daniela Gómez from Colombia, Olufunke Elizabeth Afesojaye from Nigeria, and Valeria Bernal Castillo from Colombia. 

The paper can be read at this link.

This article was originally posted on claimingourspace.org