Plan India’s Safer Cities program is part of a global initiative by Plan International along with UN-Habitat and Women in Cities International. The goal is to increase safety and access to public spaces for women and girls.

In Delhi (the most unsafe city in India), the NGO was looking for an idea that went beyond creating awareness and made a real difference on the ground.

The program was launched with over a 100 Safe Houses each in both the localities, Mangolpuri and Madanpur Khadar. These houses were within a few meters of each other and were at strategic locations (near parks and deserted corners).

The Safe House residents were a community connected among themselves. They also had direct contact with the police officers of the localities.

The campaign started in March 2016 and continues to run successfully even at present.

The impact has been tremendous: incidents of molestations reduced drastically and girls feel safe to step out of their homes. For the police, fighting crime has become easier thanks to the residents’ help.

Newspapers, blogs and news channels covered the idea. The citizen involvement has helped the community come together to keep the neighbourhood safe.

Thanks to the widespread media coverage and public interest, the program is all set to roll out to more localities.