Think Design Workshop

Think Design Workshop

On 14thDec, The US Consulate General, Mumbai and Safecity co-hosted a workshop on Design Thinking by Butool Abbas. Butool encouraged the participants to use the Design Thinking process to find solutions to gender-based violence issues.

Each of the groups chose a different issue and ideated around the same to find unique solutions that have not been tried before. A few of the innovative solutions that emerged were:-

A mobile van for registering complaints of domestic violence faced by young women working as maids in urban areas

Some young women from rural areas who are just married move to urban areas in search of jobs. Most of them take up jobs as maids and are the only earning member of the family. Quite a few of them face domestic violence but are not aware of it. The group took up the task of finding a solution to the issue presuming that the stage of creating awareness is already done. They suggested having weekly meetings with a Mahila Mandal that has a helpdesk with forms in Hindi where women can write down their name, number and time when they would like to register a complaint. There will be a mobile van that comes at the preferred time when the women can go and make their complaint either orally or by asking someone to write it down for them. There will be someone in the van who also provides counseling services if needed.

2.Positive reinforcement for women

Very often derogatory and negative remarks are passed about and at women which can harm their self-image and confidence. The team decided to create a way in which mirrors show positive images to women every time they walk up to a mirror. These images would not only work to boost their self-image but also tell them not to bear harassment/abuse silently, to speak up against discrimination, injustice etc, thus acting as constant reinforcements.

3.Bringing gendered language to an end

Language has become gendered over the years and even normalized. There are even certain phrases and bad words that are specifically aimed or about females. In order to make people aware and conscious about it and bring it to an end, the team suggested creating a game like Taboo where people have to guess the word/phrases without using the tabooed word ie the gendered words.

4.Ending homophobia

Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). These ideas are advocated through societal norms and education. In order to do away with homophobia, some of the team’s ideas were to create common toilets in schools, gender-neutral textbooks, common areas for recreation and common toys. The team also suggested that organizations which cater to children’s product should alter their website to offer common, gender non-specific toys.

5. Aiding women in low-income groups

One team focused on the issues and challenges of women from low-income groups. They suggested organizing workshops with life skills training and setting up rehabilitation centers for women who have experienced any kind of abuse.

6.Selfies

With an aim to intervene in street sexual harassment, one team decided to create a selfie campaign wherein, if anyone witnessed someone being harassed in public they would go and click a selfie with them. This would create a momentary intervention indirectly and taking a selfie with the harasser would be a means of collecting identities and proof of street harassers. The team also suggested maintaining a public record of these street harassers as a way of public humiliation as well we making people alert and aware.