Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Women-Only Taxis for Alexandria, Egypt?

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Alexandria, Egypt, may be the next location for women-only taxi services. In the last few months, Mexico and Lebanon launched such services because of the harassment women passengers and women drivers otherwise face (and several other countries already had women-only taxis).

Members of the Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights and other groups working to make Egypt a more equitable place for women are outspokenly against such a move. ECWR’s 2008 report on sexual harassment and on-going efforts to introduce anti-sexual harassment legislation has created a national dialogue about men who harass women in public spaces, and I am not surprised they are against this measure. Here is what opponents of the women-only taxi service are saying:

“Such moves represent a rights setback at legal, religious and society levels. They contradict the (Egyptian) constitution and international conventions, which establish equality between men and women.” – EGWR

“It’s very risky for our society. If it’s an excuse to solve problems like sexual harassment or other types of violence, it’s a very naïve solution for a very complicated problem…We need to see the reason and create a good solution, such as having proper transport or more security in the street, not isolate women in taxis.”
– ECWR

“Isolation is not the right idea to protect women. There is no problem with the mixing of women and men. The problem is bad morals and upbringing,” said Amna Nousseir, a professor at the Islamic seminary Al Azhar University. “It is alien to the nature of Egyptian women who have long been accustomed to walking and working alongside men without a problem,” she said.

And supporters of the service are saying:

“There is no need for such a fuss so long as women-only as well as mixed services are available,” said Mahassen Ahmad, a government employee. “Leave people to make their choices. To me, female-only taxis, driven by women, will be welcome to save women from the usual sexual harassment on public transport.”

A commentator identified as Nabil described it as “the best way to protect women against immoral sexual harassment. I pray that this practice will spread to all the Islamic states because it provides safety and security for women during their excursions.”

It’s hard to educate men not to harass women (or rather not educate them to harass women), but isn’t it worth it? Otherwise, women will still be harassed when they aren’t in a women-only taxi…

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New Pink Taxis for Women in Mexico

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Image from the AP
Image from the AP

Women living in the Mexican city Pueblo can now opt to take a taxi driven by a woman. Pink Taxi de Puebla is for women-only passengers and caters to those “tired of leering male drivers.”   Via the AP:

“Some of the woman who have been on board tell us how male taxi drivers cross the line and try to flirt with them and make inappropriate propositions,” said taxi driver Aida Santos, who drives one of the compact, four-door taxis with a tracking device and an alarm button that notifies emergency services. “In the Pink Taxi they won’t have that feeling of insecurity, and they feel more relaxed.”

The fleet of 35 taxis each have GPS, an alarm button and … a beauty kit (?!).

This company is part of a growing trend of women for women taxis cropping up around the globe. In July, one launched in Beirut, Lebanon, and similar services already exist in England, Russia, Australia, Iran, India, and the United Arab Emirates. (Don’t get me started on women-only subway cars and buses…)

The article talks about how the business offers a lucrative job to the women drivers, which is good. But, like with all women-only forms of public transportation, segregation does not mean equality. Women-only public transportation does not stop the men who leer at or harass women who cannot find a woman-driven taxi or need to get somewhere at a time when the women-only buses or subway cars aren’t running (or when they’re already full).  It does not stop men harass women in other public spaces.

It’s easier to make something pink and tell women it will keep them safe if they use it than it is to actually address the problem, and, given the rising trend of women-only services like the one in Mexico, unfortuantely easy is the way many governments and businesses are choosing to go.

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