SEXUAL HARASSMENT

I don't have my own vehicle so I needed to travel through the public vehicles. After five P.M. the public vehicles are overcrowd that I don't prefer going on that. I have to wait for long time for less crowded buses. But sometimes, I needed to go in the crowd buses. There are some experiences related to the overcrowd vehicles.

One is that the vehicles are not so clean. I don't understand why the concern people do not clean their own vehicles in the regular basis. The seats are so dirty. Even the ground of the bus is too dirty. I can understand that city is itself is dirty but that doesn't mean they shouldn't clean their vehicles. Once, I asked to the conductor and driver of the bus that why don't they clean their bus in the regular basis. They both smiled and said that city itself is dirty, why to clean? If they clean it in the regular basis the next day, the bus will be in the same condition.  Although, I agree with them, it doesn't mean that they should stop cleaning their vehicles.

Another part is the main issues talked which is sexual harassment. I have seen the conductor of the bus touching the parts of the body. What I mean here is that while making the people go inside the bus, they touch the body of the people which I really don't like. I have shouted at so many conductors. But their response could be that in rush, they do like that but it's not the way. Not only this, the way the male passengers sit in the seat makes so strange. The way they fold their hands touches the body of another person. When I say those male passengers to keep their hands away from my side, they smile or just pretend to remove their hands.

Not only me, there are lots of lots female passengers who face sexual harassment in the public vehicles but it depends on the female how they react. Some do not react and some do react. I was reading some news articles in the internet of sexual harassment in Nepal.  Most of the female have the similar problem that is in the rush, they take crowd public vehicles and they face sexual harassment. Male passengers do touch the sensitive parts of the female. 

 

Getting squeezed, pushed or pulled, stepped on is in no way a tolerating situation. But such annoying situation gets even worse for the woman passengers when the male passengers start to behave with sadistic motive and ill-intention in the name of overcrowded vehicle. If you are a woman and in the crowded vehicle, you will get more pushes and touches than the fellow male travelers. Thus congested public vehicles become scene of sexual harassment and many women undergo this crime in their everyday life because of the excuse- the vehicle is so crowded. This problem has become really burning these days although reserved seats for women have minimized the problems. Similarly, pickpocketers easily get to do their evils.

When female passengers do shout or go against the sexual harassment in the public vehicles, everyone in the vehicles give attention but they do not go against it. Even female passengers do not prefer to speak. They might think that why to be involved in others matter but how about them when they face the situation?

Not only there is the case of touching but also there is the problem of verbal abuse languages. I don't understand why people have to speak verbal languages in the public? Don't they have shamed of it. Most of the time, I feel irritation of those people. Mostly, I hate those male passengers not o keep their hands and not do touch the body, they just smile. Is that a way?

Although, there is a reserved seat for female, it's not sufficient. More than that, once there were buses only for the female. How about that?

In my opinion, whether there is reserved seat for female or not, whether there are buses or not for females, whether there are laws or not for female, it's all about the perceptive of the people. The way they look at the female should be changed. The mentality of the people should be changed. Until and unless the people do not respect the female, sexual harassment will continue. 

Not only this, if female remain silent, male are encouraged to do.So, female should break their silence and need to speak for them. Until and unless they are spoken, sexual harassment will continue. So, take a stand.

REFERENCES

http://therisingnepal.org.np/news/907

http://news.trust.org//item/20121017125800-he671?view=print

https://glocalkhabar.com/miscellaneous/women-commuters-facing-sexual-harassment-public-transport/

http://www.gulf-times.com/story/386062/Nepal-women-protest-against-harassment-in-public-t

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30681701

http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/2014/02/nepal-publictransport/

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/sexual-harassment-on-public-transport-is-a-problem-we-must-solve-9826153.html