Research & Publications Office to host seminar on ‘Understanding Underreporting: Experimental Evidence from Measuring Sexual Harassment in Public Spaces in Tanzania’ on 31 July
The talk will be delivered by Dr. Girija Borkar, World Bank
28 July, 2025, Bengaluru: The Office of Research and Publications (R&P) will host a seminar on, ‘Understanding Underreporting: Experimental Evidence from Measuring Sexual Harassment in Public Spaces in Tanzania’, to be led by Dr. Girija Borkar, World Bank (Economics area), at 4.00 pm on 31st July 2025, at P22.
Abstract: Harassment against women in public spaces is a major issue that affects women’s mobility, educational choices and labor force participation. Despite its significance, the incidence of such violence is not well understood, nor is the best way to measure it. In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the researchers address this gap by comparing the extent of harassment using all major existing measurement methods. They conduct a randomized controlled trial in which students are randomly provided access to a mobile app that allows them to record their experiences while traveling. The researchers compare the incidence rates reported through this personal and anonymous tool to those captured via high-frequency phone surveys and an enumerator observation exercise. They find that women experience, on average, one incident of harassment every two weeks and there are significant differences in reporting across the different methods of measurement. The different modes of measurement shed light on the underlying drivers of underreporting.
Speaker Profile: Dr. Girija Borkar is a Research Economist in the Development Impact Department (DI) at the World Bank. At Development Impact, she leads the Gender Program. She studies issues related to women’s economic participation, violence and mobility in developing countries, with a focus on finding scalable policy solutions. She is currently based in the World Bank Delhi Office.
She is a Research Affiliate at the Institute for Labor Economics (IZA), the Global Action for Policy (GAP) Initiative, and the Center for Research on Women and Jobs (CRWJ).
Dr. Borkar holds a Bachelor’s in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, India, a Master’s in Economics from Cambridge University, UK, an MPhil from Toulouse School of Economics, France, and a PhD in Economics from Brown University, USA.
Webpage Link: https://girijaborker.wordpress.com/
Research & Publications Office to host seminar on ‘Understanding Underreporting: Experimental Evidence from Measuring Sexual Harassment in Public Spaces in Tanzania’ on 31 July
The talk will be delivered by Dr. Girija Borkar, World Bank
28 July, 2025, Bengaluru: The Office of Research and Publications (R&P) will host a seminar on, ‘Understanding Underreporting: Experimental Evidence from Measuring Sexual Harassment in Public Spaces in Tanzania’, to be led by Dr. Girija Borkar, World Bank (Economics area), at 4.00 pm on 31st July 2025, at P22.
Abstract: Harassment against women in public spaces is a major issue that affects women’s mobility, educational choices and labor force participation. Despite its significance, the incidence of such violence is not well understood, nor is the best way to measure it. In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the researchers address this gap by comparing the extent of harassment using all major existing measurement methods. They conduct a randomized controlled trial in which students are randomly provided access to a mobile app that allows them to record their experiences while traveling. The researchers compare the incidence rates reported through this personal and anonymous tool to those captured via high-frequency phone surveys and an enumerator observation exercise. They find that women experience, on average, one incident of harassment every two weeks and there are significant differences in reporting across the different methods of measurement. The different modes of measurement shed light on the underlying drivers of underreporting.
Speaker Profile: Dr. Girija Borkar is a Research Economist in the Development Impact Department (DI) at the World Bank. At Development Impact, she leads the Gender Program. She studies issues related to women’s economic participation, violence and mobility in developing countries, with a focus on finding scalable policy solutions. She is currently based in the World Bank Delhi Office.
She is a Research Affiliate at the Institute for Labor Economics (IZA), the Global Action for Policy (GAP) Initiative, and the Center for Research on Women and Jobs (CRWJ).
Dr. Borkar holds a Bachelor’s in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, India, a Master’s in Economics from Cambridge University, UK, an MPhil from Toulouse School of Economics, France, and a PhD in Economics from Brown University, USA.
Webpage Link: https://girijaborker.wordpress.com/