Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Sex segregated bus lines

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Many times when I talk about my dissatisfaction with women-only public transportation initiatives in countries like Japan, Brazil, India, and Mexico, created as a response to sexual harassment on public transportation, I cite the fact that it doesn’t stop men from harassing women at the bus or subway stop. Consequently, I believe that governments should focus on why sexual harassment is occurring and address those issues, otherwise people will still find places and ways to harass each other, regardless of segregated transportation.

Now in Central Jakarta, India, instead of addressing why harassment is occurring, the government is segregating people by creating two lines for women and men to stand in when they wait for a bus! This is the first time I’ve heard about a city initiating segregation in this way and for the purpose of helping to minimize crime and sexual harassment.

Interestingly, their bus system is not one where there is sex segregation on board. So men can still harass women on the bus. Men passing by the bus stop can easily harass women in the line and probably men in the male line can harass across the way to the women in line too, if they wanted. So I don’t see this as helping curb the issue of harassment.

What do you think?

Woman stands at the women-only bus line. Image via Jakarta Post
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Harassment on buses in Pakistan

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Via Islamabad Metblogs

Sadly, many girls and women in Islamabad, Pakistan, report feeling unsafe when waiting at bus stops and when riding the bus. Bus drivers were commonly cited culprits in a Daily Times article, with girls and women saying they used their mirrors to ogle women and blasted sexually vulgar music. Women and girls who must sit in the front seat also can be groped or otherwise touched indecently by the driver.

Because taxis are expensive but they do not want to be harassed either, some women and girls try to wait until the buses aren’t so crowded to ride them, but then that can make them late and otherwise inconvenience them.

The article says the government has considered women-only transportation, a cop-out and band-aid fix many other countries have opted to have in their big cities. The downside of course is they do nothing to check harassing men’s behavior and still leave women who wait at bus stops or who do not live along women-only bus routes vulnerable.

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