Safe Cities: A Study of Institutional Responses to Gender Based Violence in the Global City

The course proposes a broad theoretical as well as an experiential and immersive introduction to some of the most urgent issues surrounding institutional responses to gender based violence (GBV) and related forms of gender discrimination today. The course is divided into three main sections: a theoretical framework that introduces students to contemporary arguments and ideas around gender equality, violence, women's empowerment, and legal protections offered under international and domestic law; a critical overview of contemporary New York City and State actors' interventions against gender discrimination, such as the Governor's 2019 Women's Justice Agenda, the Mayor's She Built NYC campaign, and the NYC4CEDAW Act Coalition's campaign for a NYC ordinance for the implementation of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women; and a series of thematic case studies that focus on specific challenges including in the areas of reproductive rights, sexual assault, sex work, trafficking and the rights of people of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. The latter section will require engagement with actors that are instrumental in responding to and preventing gender based violence, and may include, Victor Madrigal-Borloz the UN Independent Expert on Protection against Violence and Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Sgt. Greg Accomando of the NYPD Special Victim's Division, Abagail Nelson the Senior Vice President for Programs at Episcopal Relief & Development, and Deborah Hayashi of the North Central Bronx Sexual Assault Response Team. Through these frameworks and studies, the course offers a well-rounded introduction to the complexity of interventions against gender based discrimination in the context of a Global City. The transnational scope of the course is anchored by New York City as an incubator and instigator for innovative interventions against gender inequality, and there will be an emphasis on the cross-pollination that occurs between the City, State and national and international NGO platforms.