Words from Councillor Ciarán Cuffe, Chair of Dublin City Council Strategic Transportation Strategic Policy Committee, 12th October 2018My thanks to Plan International for hosting this event and Diana Bunici for acting as MC.Yesterday was the Day of the Girl and we read the harrowing account of Jigyasa Sharma’s experience of being sexually abused at the age of 11 in New Delhi. More importantly she discussed boys violating her consent here in Dublin. There is a clear message for all of us in her story: our Government, our local authorities and our culture must provide safe space for women and girls. Plan International SurveyThe Plan International Expert Survey of Girls' Safety in Cities Across the World is a hugely important document.Thankfully Dublin compared well to many of the cities examined around the world in terms of risks of sexual harassment. However our city did not fare so well when it came to decision-making. Dublin is down there with Bogota in terms of the extent to which girls and young women are able to participate in decision making bodies about safety. A majority of experts believe that in Dublin women are hardly ever able to participate in decision making bodies on safety issues. A majority of experts also felt that women and girls’ views are hardly ever taken on board in local policies and planning?At a global level the report says that 60% of experts say sexual harassment is never or hardly ever reported to the authorities in their city. This needs to change.The Report states that sexual harassment is the number-one safety risk facing girls and young women with 78% of experts describing it as an extremely high or high risk for girls and 77% saying that it occurs either very or fairly often within public spaces in their city. As a city councillor charged with the provision of, and management of the public space I take this responsibility seriously.Safe Cities Scoping StudyFour years ago I was involved in the production of a Safe Cities Scoping Study for Dublin City Council for UN Women. That Scoping Study should have informed a significant body of work in the next stage of that program. Sadly that has yet to occur, and I will put pressure on my colleagues and senior management in Dublin City Council to make that happen.That report was written by Dr. Jackie Bourke and she identified sexual harassment- street harassment as a key issue for girls as young as eleven in Dublin. This must change and the provision of safe spaces must be crucial to our work.She found that women and girls who walk and cycle are sexually harassed by male car drivers who leer at them, and make them uncomfortable while travelling through the city.The women in the focus groups identified the work of local authorities as being key to improving the safety of women and girls in public space. Councils provide street lighting and as we rollout new low-energy lighting we can make changes to improve the quality of lighting in public spaces that can improve safety. Councils can address dereliction and although our powers are limited in terms of what we can do under the Derelict Sites legislation and with the Vacant Sites Levy, but we can and must still tackle empty and threatening spaces. Advertising far too often objectifies women and girls and as a local authority we can call out inappropriate content, keep the Advertising Standards Authority on their toes and use our own messaging to set the tone for public safety. Last year Dublin City Council ran a campaign with slogans such as 'A sexist remark is not a compliment’. That is a start, but we need to go much further. Only 30% of our staff are women, and women are severely underrepresented in our senior staff, and as elected representatives. We need more women in powerWe must go further and roll out educational programmes for the public and service providers, in particular the Gardaí, which clearly define what constitutes sexual harassment and other forms of sexual violence in public space. These programmes should address underlying causes, the harmful effects of sexual violence in public space, and how to seek help when required.This isn’t just a Dublin City Council Issue. It affects other bodies such as Dáil Éireann, and other assemblies. The Minister for Justice, and the Minister for Education have important roles to play in this process. This must change, and I will do what I can to ensure we go much further to address the safety of girls in our city and around Ireland.Probably the most important thing that we can do is listen to the voices of young women and girls, and address the concerns that they raise about their lives in our city and around Ireland.Issued and published 12th October 2018