EMPOWER - Tackling sexual harassment on public transport in sub-Saharan Africa

Challenge

The EMPOWER project – funded by UK Aid’s High Volume Transport programme - delivered an integrated programme of primary research in Nigeria, Malawi and Rwanda. This produced robust new qualitative and quantitative data on the prevalence of sexual harassment on public transportation and underlined the need for coordinated cross-sector action.

Solution

As coordinator of the project, SLR managed the applied research activities of partners from Europe and sub-Saharan Africa and led the overall financial, technical and quality management processes. This included managing the design of passenger and stakeholder surveys as well as focus group discussion guides for the primary data collection.

SLR also delivered the stakeholder mapping process in Nigeria and Malawi to identify the key organisations with power and interest in preventing and tackling harassment. These included policymakers, transport providers, local authorities and police forces who duly attended to two workshops in Malawi and Rwanda to raise awareness and identify how barriers to cross-sector working could be overcome.

Impact

The main output of the project was the SHE CAN Tool (Sexual Harassment Engagement – Changing Attitudes meeting Needs). It is an innovative user-friendly, web-based resource, assisting policymakers and transport providers to develop an evidence-based approach to addressing sexual harassment and personal security within public transport.

It s now being deployed in Nigeria and across the region by transport stakeholders to deliver measures to improve passenger safety including: driver training; bus station and vehicle design; street lighting; and publicity campaigns.