While safety on public transport has never quite been our strongest suit, it is concerning to see more and more cases of harassment against women on public buses.
Bangladesh Road Safety Network recently reported that 83% of the women who commute via urban buses are subjected to harassment, physical or psychological.
As an overpopulated nation, we have come to accept the lack of personal space in public places, but if a section of the people continues to take advantage of these crammed spaces to cause distress, some urgent changes must be made.
Also, it certainly does not help that incidents are rarely reported, as there remains the tendency for bus workers, onlookers, or even law enforcement to insist that the victims let it go.
Women are more vulnerable than their male counterparts no matter where they go, but not being able to protect them even during their daily activities is shameful on our part.
The solutions are right in front of us, and if we can start to prioritize the security of half of our population, we may be able to put a stop to such uncouth practices fairly quickly.
First and foremost, CCTV surveillance must be mandated on all buses and public transport in general. A lot of crimes can be avoided if only the culprits have the fear of being caught.
Additionally, the number of female-only buses must be increased, and their routes must also be expanded to facilitate safer travels for more women across the nation.
A bigger solution — and, perhaps, the bigger challenge — would be to educate more of the general public on decent behaviour, and to show them examples of the consequences of harassment of any kind.
This will only stop when we start making collective efforts, and that is the least we can do to keep the women of our country safe.
