From Tokyo to Toronto, Delhi to Paris, millions of women plan their journeys on public transport every day like a sensitive military operation: Where to sit? What time to travel? How to stay alert?
This bitter reality shapes the daily lives of a huge portion of women worldwide. Statistics cry out: Over 70 percent of women globally have experienced sexual harassment in public spaces, including on transit.
But this problem is not just dry statistics. In France, over nearly a decade, recorded sexual violence on public transport has increased by 86 percent, with 95 percent of the victims of this violence being women. Recently, a case of attempted rape on a Paris commuter train reopened this old wound of insecurity, sparking a wave of anger and protest. The signing of a petition calling for women-only carriages has once again heated up the debate on solutions to this crisis.
A City Built in the Name of Men
France 24’s program, in a discussion with Leslie Kern, an urbanist and author of the book “Feminist City: Claiming Space in a Man-Made World,” delved into the roots of this problem. Kern believes that public transport is designed not based on women’s needs and lived experiences, but according to men’s behavioral patterns and needs.
Herein lies the paradox: Research shows that women are more dependent on public transport than men, yet these systems show the slightest flexibility for their needs. From a lack of lighting at stations and the walkways leading to them, to insufficient surveillance and the design of isolated, remote stations, all combine to turn public spaces into dangerous environments for women.
Women-Only Carriages; A Solution or a Temporary Palliative?
The recent incident in Paris has brought the demand for women-only carriages back to the headlines. Countries like Japan, Mexico, and India have had such carriages for years, allowing women to travel without fear of harassment. But is this a final solution or just a palliative?
Proponents say women-only carriages are an immediate and practical solution to protect women in the short term, giving them a choice. However, opponents, including many urbanists and feminist activists like Leslie Kern, warn that this action is, in fact, a form of gender segregation. They believe this solution shifts the responsibility for women’s safety onto women themselves and absolves governments and officials from their primary duty: creating safe spaces for all citizens.
The experience of other countries shows that the problem is not limited to harassment alone. In India, women’s carriages, alongside issues like dilapidated infrastructure and a lack of accountability from officials, have only solved a small part of the problem. Women in these countries still face danger at stations, on platforms, and in interchange corridors.
So, What is the Solution?
Experts like Leslie Kern believe that making public transport safe requires a comprehensive and multi-layered approach:
- Reversing Gendered Urban Design: Revising the design principles of stations, trains, and buses with the participation of women and considering their experiences.
- Increasing Surveillance and Accountability: Installing more cameras, increasing staff presence, and ensuring legal prosecution of offenders.
- Cultural Change: Combating the patriarchal culture that normalizes violence against women.
The 86% increase in violence in France is a wake-up call that is not unique to this country. This statistic shows that the issue of women’s insecurity in public transport is a global and structural problem. As long as cities are not designed and managed for all their inhabitants, regardless of gender, millions of women will continue to plan their commutes like a dangerous mission.
France 24