The World Bank just released a new report, Gender and Public Transport in Nepal. They found that 83% of Nepali women work outside the home and one-third take pubic transportation. The main reasons women gave for using public transportation were to go to work and school and they preferred riding the nilo (blue) microbus.
“Whatever the mode of transport used, the number one problem for all commuters is overcrowding. In their quest to maximize profits, drivers cram in passengers who are forced to endure “disgusting and sweaty” journeys. Overcrowding is blamed for personal insecurity which ranks second among commuters’ concerns. One in three women and one in six men feel insecure on public transport. This includes the fear of pickpockets, sexual harassment and personal injury.
Young women aged 19-25 years are more than twice as likely as all other age groups of women to specifically relate their feelings of personal insecurity to fear of ‘inappropriate touching’ with 43% noting this concern. In fact, one in four young women aged 19-35 years had had direct experience of this in the previous twelve months. The main perpetrators are middle aged men and more than half of all women surveyed said they would avoid standing or sitting next to a middle aged man while travelling.
Inappropriate touching is not only a problem for women however, as one in ten men who mentioned insecurity as a concern had also experienced inappropriate touching by other men. Men are also twice as likely as women to have directly experienced pickpockets and abuse from drivers and conductors.”
The study was conducted from September to December, 2013 with funding from Australian Aid.
