Guatemala, one of the most violent countries in the world, just launched a pilot program of dozens of women-only buses in Guatemala City because of the high rates of sexual harassment and groping that women passengers face.

The buses are identified with signs reading “For Women Only” and pink ribbons (ah yes, as always, pink = female…) and the buses run between the city center and neighbourhoods to the north and south. The buses run from 6 to 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 to 7 p.m., and they allow boys under 12 to ride. Bus drivers are also allowed to be male.

Guatemala joins more than fifteen countries that have women-only public transportation, each instituted as band-aid fixes to address rampant sexual harassment on public transportation and never offered with enough frequency to be of use to all women passengers. The idea for the women-only buses in Guatemala came from seeing Mexico institute them a few years ago.

“Spearheading the initiative was right-wing opposition congresswoman Zury Ríos, who asked the owners of buses to create women-only spaces, to keep them safe from harassment and aggression.

“It’s been a success. I’m really happy that women feel safer and that with this decision, their human rights have begun to be respected,” said the legislator, who is the daughter of former dictator Efraín Ríos Montt (1982-1983).

Congresswoman Ríos, who is known for taking up women’s causes, said the Guatemala City system is based on the Mexico City model. She added that the idea is to also provide a women-only taxi service, with women drivers, similar to a system that is operating in the Mexican capital.”

Americas Quarterly reported on how the first day of the initiative went:

“The first day of service was met with a mix of enthusiasm and confusion. Hundreds of women lined up to board the pink-ribboned buses, but some were made visibly nervous by male riders in nearby lines who appeared to mock the new routine. The system also created difficulties for riders unaccustomed to traveling without their husbands or older sons. Some men, who mistakenly boarded the new buses, were ordered off.”

Like other countries with women-only public transportation, feelings about the women-only buses vary. Some women are simply grateful for any measure that gives them relief from the harassment, while others see it as a surface-level response that doesn’t address or fix the root causes. For my part, I always wonder how people can justify segregating individuals by sex in these instances when it would be unthinkable to do so by race, eye color, or nationality. It may be harder to do, but why not actually address the root causes or focus the attention on men instead of on women?

Here is some of the mixed feedback, via International.to:

“I feel safer here,” Verónica Ortega, holding her two-year-old son, told IPS as she rode home on one of the women-only buses.

“The problem is that off the bus, harassment is still an issue,” Ana María Cofiño, with the La Cuerda feminist collective, told IPS, describing the buses as a “palliative” measure.

“Specific actions like this are taken, but violence in other areas like the workplace or the streets, or the fact that women are at risk of being raped at any time, are not addressed,” she complained.

Cofiño said the Guatemalan state has the obligation to guarantee that women have the same access to opportunities as men, and to carry out awareness-raising campaigns on respect for women. “If the authorities did this, we would believe there was a more serious intention of bringing about change,” she added.

Ana Silvia Monzón at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) told IPS that the initiative makes sense as long as women continue to be harassed on public transport.

“I hope it’s only temporary and that men’s behaviour will improve, but for that to happen, other measures are needed as well,” the expert added…

Evelyn Morales, with Tierra Viva, a women’s group based in Guatemala City, told IPS that it will take a major effort to curb harassment and violence against women. But the women-only buses “are a positive step, because most women experience being groped, harassed and sexually violated on urban and suburban buses,” she said.

But not everyone is happy about the measure. “There aren’t enough buses, and now half-empty buses carrying only women will go by,” complained Víctor Guzmán, a factory employee.”

Thoughts?