Women's safety in public transport

Although women are regularly harassed in public transport in Dhaka city, they are often unable to protest for fear of further harassment. Researchers have found that lack of proper enforcement of the law, excessive passengers on buses, lack of adequate lighting in the vehicles, lack of supervision, etc., are some of the main reasons for sexual harassment in public transport.

The existing education system, under which there exist schools segregated by sex (all boys' and girls' schools), limits the scope for these children to learn about gender equality as well as building a respectful attitude towards women. Both male and female children should be taught from an early age to respect each other. To do that, adequate training and counselling of teachers are essential. Also, the government should take proper steps to stop harassment of women in public transport. Proper monitoring, formulating laws and enforcing them can help improve the situation. The number of special buses for women should also be increased. If corrective actions are not taken, the situation will only get worse in future.

Sazzad Asif Khan

Department of Business Administration

East West University