Have you walked in a public space at night-time and tightly gripped your keys in your fingers, ‘just in case’? It’s a scenario that us all experienced, and it is something we at the Zonta Club of Brisbane have a “burning desire” to change.

Studies show that 1 in 2 women do not feel safe walking alone at night, and that young women are frightened for their physical safety. Recent media has highlighted that many women feel unsafe about, or avoid, night-time or early morning outdoor exercise,.

UN Women called on communities around the world to take a stand against gender inequality by investing in women and supporting feminist change-makers – putting the focus on women-led projects like Safe Streets for Women and Girls, which advocate for change, equality and inclusivity.

Our vision as Zonta Zonta International envisions a world in which women’s rights are recognised as human rights and every woman is able to achieve her full potential.

We answered with the Safe Streets advocacy project lead by the Zonta Club of Brisbane in collaboration with the University of Queensland and Queensland Walks. The project sees communities and stakeholders come together and explore a neighbourhood at night, collecting data on areas that require improved lighting, reduced shrubbery, improved paths to avoid long periods of walking in the dark (eg parks). This data is then provided to local councils and relevant government departments to advocate for improvement to these areas.

The walks encourage women to come out and have a say and realise that they can be part of making change. The results are important to drive change but so is the process, as it empowers women to use their voice and be effective advocates for themselves and others.

“We set out to scaffold our advocacy work around data collection to create safer places for women and girls and hear directly from women about their experiences. We approached this as an opportunity to advocate for change by using data to drive our story – data makes such a difference when you need to get the message across in a noisy media market.”

Grace Cororcan, Zonta Club of Brisbane Advocacy Chair

The Zonta Club of Brisbane has done two walks now and the Zonta International Convention workshop, along with the resources we have created will inspire other Zontians to do the same in their own communities. The Safe Cities Safe Streets Toolkit was launched in June at the 2024 Zonta International Convention in Brisbane.

“Zonta does a lot of work around domestic and family violence, and we know it is just as important to protect women outside the home as inside the home.

For example women escaping DV need a safe passage from the home to their place of refuge – this means safety around transport nodes such as bus stations and railway stations.

This project is about who we are as Zontians – advocating and taking action to create change by working with allies or partners. With the end result to end gender based violence against women and girls and to enable them to participate fully in life and the economy.”

Sandra McLean, Zonta Club of Brisbane Advocacy Committe.

The Safe Cities Safe Streets Toolkit is free to use. We ask people to download the toolkit and to do their own walk to give women and girls a voice and build advocacy in the community.