Creating Safe SpacesCreating Safe Spaces

From emergency shelters for survivors of violence to safe spaces where young women can discuss harmful traditional practices and cultural taboos, to support groups for women living with HIV and inclusive, accessible spaces for women with disabilities, YWCAs are closely associated with the idea of a Safe Space. But what do we mean by a Safe Space, and how can we create such spaces for women, young women and girls?

Training sessions and discussion groups provide opportunities for young women to discuss sensitive and taboo subjects without fear or judgment and to build awareness of international and national commitments that affect their lives. In Safe Spaces, young women are encouraged to reflect on their own and others’ experiences, share ideas and information, and plan transformative action. Safe Spaces can also create opportunities for young women to engage directly with government representatives, policymakers and other decision-makers. YWCA transformative leadership training can build relationships between young women and local and national decision-makers, fostering accountability and helping connect policies and programmes with the lived experiences of young women.

Young women’s leadership can flourish in Safe Spaces when these spaces provide:

• Accessible and Safe Locations: Trainings and meetings should be held in accessible, central and convenient locations for women, young women and girls, while ensuring safety and privacy. It is also important to reach isolated communities through mobile outreach programmes and rural networks, and to maintain visibility in both urban and rural areas to encourage awareness of and participation in YWCA activities.
• Leadership and Participation: YWCAs are women-led spaces that aim to be inclusive and empowering for women, young women and girls of all ages and backgrounds. Leadership development and participation are essential components of YWCA programming, fostering solidarity and a sense of ownership that can help women and girls move from being beneficiaries to active agents of change.
• Accurate and Reliable Information: YWCAs share and promote evidence-based information that supports women, young women and girls in making informed choices.
• Building Trust: YWCAs provide spaces where women, young women and girls can openly share their experiences and challenges and, where appropriate, receive confidential support.
• Holistic Approaches: YWCAs consider the multiple dimensions of women’s lives and deliver services that respond to the different stages of their lives. Education and economic empowerment are recognized as important tools for empowerment, personal security and the exercise of rights.
• Intergenerational Cooperation: YWCAs encourage intergenerational sharing, mentoring and cooperation among women and girls of different ages. These supportive relationships are based on respect and equality, with a focus on developing young women’s leadership.
• Dignity and Respect: The YWCA’s local and global network brings women, young women and girls together to support and inspire one another. Safe Spaces should respect everyone’s dignity, identity and rights.
• Partnership and Accountability: YWCAs are part of their communities and seek to provide reliable and sustainable spaces for women, young women and girls. They work in partnership with local, regional and global actors to advance women’s rights and promote accountability among relevant duty-bearers.

The YWCA Safe Space Hub provides a place where young people, especially girls, can openly share their experiences and challenges, access information, increase their awareness of their rights, and build their capacity to claim those rights as empowered leaders, decision-makers and change agents. Safe Spaces can also create opportunities for young people to build supportive friendships. Discussion spaces can help participants increase awareness, challenge myths, discuss common concerns, and speak freely without discrimination or exclusion based on their identities or views. They can also help participants address stigma and fear through facilitated discussions and workshops in a supportive environment.

Mental Health Awareness: Creating Virtual Safe Spaces

Creating virtual Safe Spaces became a priority area of the YWCA of India’s COVID Crisis Response Initiative.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, India experienced one of the world’s largest reported outbreaks. By September 2020, the country had reported more than 5.6 million COVID-19 cases. Restrictions were gradually eased in some areas during 2020, while localized lockdowns, travel restrictions and containment measures continued in various states. At the same time, the country faced overlapping challenges including hunger, job losses, unequal access to healthcare, increased reports of domestic abuse, and concerns about mental health.

Millions of migrant workers returned to rural areas during the lockdown period, with many travelling long distances, including on foot. Agriculture remained a major source of employment, accounting for roughly 42% of the workforce around this period. At the same time, protests against three agricultural laws enacted in September 2020 developed into a major national movement. During the protests, authorities imposed temporary internet restrictions in some affected areas, creating additional challenges for organizations conducting programmes and sessions online.

The pandemic also intensified concerns around mental health. Earlier WHO estimates projected that mental and behavioural disorders could account for around 15% of the global burden of disease by 2020, compared with about 12% in earlier estimates. WHO has also estimated that depression affected about 4.3% of the world’s population in 2015. In India, the National Mental Health Survey of 2015–16 found that 10.6% of adults had a current mental disorder, while the lifetime prevalence of mental disorders was 13.7%. The survey also reported an overall treatment gap of about 83% for mental health problems.

Despite the significant social burden of mental health conditions, stigma, prejudice and misconceptions can discourage people from seeking help. Mental health difficulties are sometimes wrongly viewed as a sign of personal weakness or an inability to cope with life. Social circumstances and external environments can also have a significant effect on mental health. Creating supportive Safe Spaces can help people understand and express their experiences, develop healthy ways of coping, and seek appropriate support. Where community support is not sufficient, clear pathways to professional mental health services are also important.

The YWCA therefore recognized the need not only to promote awareness of mental health, but also to address the stigma associated with mental health concerns. Because physical interventions were restricted during the pandemic, the initial strategy focused on reaching communities through virtual platforms. Recognizing that support from families, friends and communities can contribute to resilience, the project involved broader groups through training and counselling, with the aim of helping participants recognize warning signs and seek professional support without fear of stigma.

Building on the experience gained through the project, the YWCA identified the need for dedicated virtual modules and training on mental health awareness for vulnerable groups, as well as counselling centres across member Associations. As part of its advocacy work, it also sought to encourage schools and colleges to provide counsellors or collaborate with counselling institutions so that students and their parents could access appropriate support.

The project adopted a three-pronged approach based on the needs and characteristics of different audience groups:

• Children and Young Adults
• Young Adults and Vulnerable Groups
• Nursing Professionals and Social Workers
• Other Groups

This approach was implemented through the following action areas:

1. Webinars

   1. Children and young people experienced major disruptions to their education and daily routines during the pandemic, including online classes, online examinations, reduced opportunities for outdoor play, and fewer social activities. Through the Happiness interactive online learning module, the project reached children, adolescents and undergraduate students with engaging activities designed to help them understand and manage stress.

   2. To address concerns around deteriorating mental health among young women and women, virtual sessions explored ways of dealing with stress, anxiety and depression and maintaining a healthy social life. The platform also encouraged participants to discuss their insecurities and seek professional support from experts.

   3. For young adults and older people, sessions on Dealing with the New Normal provided interactive opportunities to build peer support and discuss the challenges of confinement and mental health during the pandemic.

   4. The YWCA also addressed concerns related to domestic violence and gender-based violence during the pandemic. Advocacy-oriented sessions engaged communities, including men, to discuss these issues and raise awareness about legal assistance and how to access it. The module also included sessions designed to be accessible to people with hearing impairments.

2. Capacity Building

   1. Through training for existing Y-Deepa volunteers, the project sought to equip volunteers to recognize signs of mental health concerns and establish linkages with trained organizations and counsellors.

3. Virtual Safe Spaces

   1. Virtual Antidote for Mental Health Issues: An online space was created to encourage participants to share experiences, opinions and views without fear of personal, social or economic harm. For outreach among young women, including hostel residents and Young Women Volunteers, the project worked with the networking partner SafetiPin. Young women were encouraged to use a mobile application that provided information about local safety concerns, such as street harassment, stalking and bullying, and helped them identify safer routes and locations.

   2. Podcast Series: A podcast series featuring young women sharing real-life experiences of dealing with mental stress was launched for people who could relate to these experiences. Regular episodes also addressed mental health, social life and ways of managing stress. Podcasts offered content that could be accessed at any time and with relatively low data requirements.

   3. Social Media Outreach: Through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, the project reached women and young women using infographics, posters and blog content. The aim was to connect people who needed mental health counselling with support services through social media and, where available, live interaction with mental health professionals through the website.

   4. Children and Young Adults: The project aimed to help children and young adults understand the growing challenges associated with life online and the potential effects of the pandemic on mental well-being. Rather than overwhelming children with information and statistics about COVID-19, the focus was on providing age-appropriate information and helping them understand potential impacts in simple terms.

The pandemic challenged NGOs around the world to develop effective ways of communicating and delivering programmes in a rapidly changing environment. Moving from office-based work to fully or partly virtual environments required new technology, systems and processes, creating significant operational challenges.

Collective effort and collaboration became an important part of the response. Through the implementation of the project, the YWCA strengthened its understanding of the value of networking and of how organizations can complement one another by sharing expertise and resources. The digital transformation accelerated by the pandemic created new opportunities, but it also highlighted inequalities in access to devices, connectivity and digital skills.

To understand these realities and adapt programme management accordingly, the YWCA remained in regular contact with local Associations and supported them in using digital approaches while keeping safety considerations in mind. With guidance and support from the World Office, information and experiences were shared, and local Associations were encouraged to maintain community engagement through safer methods during the pandemic.

Building coalitions with networking partners and moving beyond traditional programme responses towards virtual approaches was challenging, but it also created opportunities for new forms of collaboration. The YWCA’s account of the response also called for stronger coordination between government agencies, NGOs and civic bodies to improve information-sharing and social support for vulnerable groups. It argued that better coordination and recognition of the roles and areas of expertise of existing organizations could strengthen crisis-response systems and improve cohesion in service delivery.