Workshops assessing the safety of women in public spaces from the woman’s perspective were hosted last week by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) and poorly lit streets and the lack of a police presence were issues raised.
The hope is that the results of the Women’s Safety Audit, which engaged women and other stakeholders at Providence Phase 2 and Herstelling New Scheme on the East Bank Demerara (EBD), where infrastructure work is being done, can influence the design of infrastructure interventions for those areas, the CH&PA said in a statement on Friday.
According to the release, the workshop makes up a component of the Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme (AHUAP) which seeks to improve infrastructure in targeted communities to include the safety of women and girls.
Addressing residents at the event, Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues spoke on the importance of such engagements to the country’s developmental process. She underscored that the intention is to ensure that the infrastructure being constructed in communities is functional and practical for the citizens who reside in those areas.
“That is something that influences our decisions when we choose roads to be upgraded because if we are spending government’s money, we want to ensure that it can impact as many people as possible,” the release quoted the minister as saying.
While infrastructure work is earmarked for these areas under AHUAP, the minister pointed out that the government has awarded contracts for the upgrading of 1,100 community roads with 13 roads slated to be upgraded at Providence and 24 at Herstelling. Another 20 roads have been identified for an upgrade at Peters Hall and other existing EBD housing schemes.
The minister also told the residents that government has already taken stock of all of the roads that are in deplorable condition and is incorporating them into its work programme.
After the two workshops, residents were able to identify several areas of concern in their respective communities. Poorly lit streets and the lack of police presence in the Providence area were among the issues raised.
Through the AHUAP initiative, US$27 million ($5.4 billion) has been allotted through the Inter-American Development Bank to execute projects in several areas across the country, including the construction of core homes and infrastructure works such as upgrading of roads and drainage systems and installation of street lights, the release added.
