By Rochelle Jones

According to the 2001 census, 54 percent of Mumbai’s population lived in slums at the time, with 25 percent living on pavements and footpaths, leaving only 15 percent of the population living in formal housing arrangements.[i] The population of Mumbai has tripled in just 50 years, demonstrating how droves of people continue to migrate from rural to urban areas due to disparities in wealth.

Slums have been around for a long time, but recently Governments have begun to take seriously the challenges and opportunities that slums present, as well as the social, health and economic rights of the now billion people living in slums around the world. Slum redevelopment and upgrading projects have taken root since The "Cities Without Slums" action plan was endorsed by the 150 heads of state and government attending the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000. Reflected in the United Nations Millennium Declaration (A/RES/55/2)[ii], along with the other targets set under "Development and poverty eradication", the goal is:

"By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers as proposed in the "Cities Without Slums" initiative."

The "Cities Without Slums" goal is now reflected as Target 11[iii] of the Millennium Development Goals.[iv] Progress in achieving this goal will be monitored through two indicators: (i) the proportion of people with access to improved sanitation; and (ii) the proportion of people with access to secure tenure.[v]

Slums invoke a multitude of images, and if you multiply those images by a few million, and then a few million more – you’re probably only just starting to understand the myriad dimensions of a slum. Slums provide not only shelter – albeit meager - but friendship, support, recreation and employment for their inhabitants. They are cities within cities, exhibiting their own levels of governance, and like any city, they have a soul that reflects the people. In recognising this, however, the realities of poverty and squalor that exist in slums require immediate attention. Water and sanitation are basic needs that everyone should have a right to access.

According to a recent study conducted by the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE), women mostly end up in slums because they migrate with their husbands to the cities, who work as unskilled or semi-skilled labourers. In India, the study finds that slums reflect a gendered social fabric where women are “in a subservient and exploitable position relative to men. Low rates of participation in education, a lack of economic independence, and gender-based discrimination result in women’s dependence on the men in their lives for their survival. Women are too often considered to be second-class citizens in the societal hierarchy, which leaves them with minimal voice in familial decisions. When a familial decision results in bringing a woman to the city, she nonetheless bears primary responsibility for the well-being of her family and must tend to household chores and raising children. Regardless of their unpaid work within the home, women often also make an economic contribution to the household through paid work. These contributions are rarely recognised, however, and women seldom retain control over what little money they are actually able to earn.”[vi]

Inside the slums, it is women who are disproportionately affected by the problems of slum life because they spend the majority of their time in the home and community caring for their families. These problems encompass infrastructure, sanitation, health and security, and are further exacerbated by gender-based discrimination and violence. COHRE note that “for women, the phenomena of urbanisation and the growth of city slums have unique causes and unique consequences. Yet, these issues have been largely unaddressed by academics and advocates alike, and there is limited data on women and urbanisation.”[vii]

Given this, the recent interest by governments in slum redevelopment projects has little chance of being gender sensitive because of this lack of understanding of gender dynamics within a slum. Without an accurate picture of women’s and men’s unique experiences of life inside a slum, redevelopment projects are more often than not going to reproduce the same conditions that discriminate, as well as ignore many important, gendered aspects of slum life that may not be immediately visible.

Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP)

Dharavi is a slum covering 535 acres sandwiched between two commuter rail lines in the middle of Mumbai on what used to be marshland. Dharavi is home to around one million people, and there are about 770 women to every 1000 men[viii]. Under the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), it is proposed that the existing slum be demolished, replacing it with 7-storey apartment buildings available free of charge to eligible residents.[ix] Of the total land, 65 per cent would be used for the rehabilitation of the eligible residents. About 35 acres would be allocated for parks and gardens, 36 acres for school and about six acres for medical facilities.[x]

Eligible slum dwellers are those who can prove they have been living in Dharavi since January 2000 and whose structures are existing on site. These residents will be ‘rehabilitated’ free of charge in a self contained ‘apartment’ with a floor area of 225 sq ft. A total of 87,200 families will be provided with accommodation. The rest of the residents will be required to relocate elsewhere at their own cost. Initially, only 57,000 families were to be provided the free dwellings, but a coalition of residents’ groups demanded more people to be accommodated, and the Supreme Court allowed it in April this year.[xi]

The DRP is the idea of architect Mukesh Metah, who claims the DRP is a “shift in paradigm for all slum rehabilitation throughout the world. People are going to look at slum rehabilitation in a different way after Dharavi.”[xii] Many residents of Dharavi support redevelopment, but are opposed to the way it is being implemented, with little community participation in planning.

Women and the DRP

For women, redevelopment of the slum poses unique problems. In terms of tenure, the documentary evidence required to establish their identity and proof of residence remains mostly in the hands of men. This means that a woman’s ability to access a permanent housing solution remains very much dependent upon their husband. Whilst joint ownership between a man and a woman is acknowledged, “the concept of joint ownership itself excludes a large number of women who are not legally able to prove any relationship with a man. This gap is a major challenge for single women, widows, deserted women and elderly women.” [xiii]

Women’s use of public space in Dharavi is also something that would drastically change with the proposed redevelopment, and a local initiative has undertaken a small-scale gender analysis of the way women use space in the slums. Called ‘Urban Typhoon Workshop’ - it is a collaborative project organised by the residents of Koliwada[xiv], independent researchers and activists, and PUKAR (Partners for Urban Knowledge, Action and Research)[xv]. In March 2008, Urban Typhoon conducted interviews with women who would be directly affected by the DRP, and found that public space is a critical element of Dharavi that developers should consider from a gender perspective in order to achieve the best outcomes for women.

According to their research, public space just outside the home is used by women for recreation, celebration and work, and the main theme emerging from the research seemed to be that “the ‘home’ in Koliwada should not be considered as strictly the space within the walls, but also consists of shared space outside the home such as the laneways. These spaces directly outside the home allow for the activities necessary for family life and community vitality.”[xvi] Most women felt that they would like to keep the low-rise structures that they now have which facilitate access to the outside for them and their children.

In saying this, the women interviewed expressed a keen interest in the establishment of a women-only park where they could go to take their children, exercise, relax or gather together. Bigger spaces tend to be dominated by men and boys, and most women felt positive about the concept of their own legitimate space.

This type of information is extremely valuable, however, what happens to this information and whether or not it reaches the Government and influences the DRP is questionable. Outcomes of the workshop have been published online, but it is unclear how far-reaching the message has been. The workshop’s aims were to “raise awareness among government officials and the general public about the importance of preserving the rich urban traditions of the communities in Dharavi. It also aims to demonstrate the political potential of cultural groups such as those active in Koliwada and Dharavi… the workshop will produce alternative proposals for the urban design of Koliwada and Dharavi.”[xvii]

To date, DRP planning continues to move ahead, and it is difficult to determine from available information whether communities’ concerns are really being heard and incorporated. The redevelopment of Dharavi will be a challenge for all residents, but especially women – whose voices are rarely heard. This is a problem of gender inequality at all levels – the family, community, and institutions. Women should be allowed to meaningfully participate in all stages of slum redevelopment projects, with a gender-sensitive approach employed in the conceptualisation, design and implementation phases. Unfortunately this does not often happen.

Notes:

[i] Women, Urbanisation and Slums: Examining the Causes and Consequences. Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE), Women and Housing Rights Programme. May 2008. Available to download from: http://www.cohre.org/view_page.php?page_id=308

[ii] See http://www.un.org/millennium/declaration/ares552e.htm

[iii]http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mdg/Resources/Attach/Indicators/OfficialList.pdf

[iv]http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

[v] Cities Without Slums: http://www.citiesalliance.org/activities-output/topics/slum-upgrading/action-plan.html

[vi] Ibid note 1. pp48-49

[vii] Ibid note 1. p10

[viii] Ibid note 1. p48

[ix]http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Blueprint-for-a-new-Dharavi/140257/0

[x]http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/06/01/stories/2007060105281000.htm

[xi]http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/06/stories/2008040659271100.htm

[xii]http://news.sbs.com.au/dateline/mumbai_makeover_542458

[xiii] Ibid note 1. pp49-50

[xiv] Koliwada is a term meaning habitat of the Kolis. The Kolis are the original inhabitants of Dharavi.

[xv] For information about the Urban Typhoon Workshop, visit: http://www.urbantyphoon.com/intro.htm and also: http://www.dharavi.org/X._Urban_Typhoon_Workshop_Koliwada-Dharavi/Team_TISS:_What_Women_Want/Women_of_Koliwada

[xvi] Dharavi.org: http://www.dharavi.org/X._Urban_Typhoon_Workshop_Koliwada-Dharavi/Team_TISS%3a_What_Women_Want/Home

[xvii]http://www.urbantyphoon.com/objectives.htm