By Mahtab Bashir
ISLAMABAD: Commuting between the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad is a nightmare for the working women, housewives and girl students, as they are not only roughed up by the ill-tempered and foul-mouthed van and bus conductors, but also subjected to sexual harassment at the bus stops.
Daily Times talked to a number of working women and girl students Saturday and enquired them about their problems. The reply of majority was that they did not feel safe while standing at bus stops or traveling in a bus or van. They said while sitting in the front seat, majority of drivers, especially of vans, constantly ogle at them through the mirrors.
They said the mirrors were not meant to assist the driver in keeping an eye on the traffic moving behind and on the sides of the vehicle but to stare at the women ‘from different angels’. Another irritant, they said, was that they play high-pitched vulgar songs causing them embarrassment.
Shaheena Iqbal, a student of Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU), said that harassment at the hands of van drivers plying the Aabpara-QAU route was a routine. “While driving, most of the time they stare at us through the mirrors instead of looking ahead.
They not only watch us, but also pass a smile and sometimes dig their elbows into our bodies, especially when two women are seated in the front seat.
The space in the front seats is rather congested and when we have to squash up to make room for the second fare, naturally the girl or woman sitting on the side of the driver gets closer to him, which gives him an opportunity to indulge in indecent behavior,” Shaheena said.
Though tall claims have been made by almost all governments to launch a separate public transport system for women, nothing concrete has been done in this regard. Apart from commuting between the home and office or the school or college, standing at the bus stops is no less affliction, as some people park their cars close to the bus station and stare at them through the side mirrors in the hope that someone would get into the car.
During rush hour, men crowd a bus or van as soon as it stops and elbow their way in due to which majority of women are left standing at the bus stops.
Since hiring a cab is bit expensive these days, they keep waiting until the rush thins down. As a result, they get late for their destinations where they have to justify their late arrival. Refusing to be identified, a burqa-clad working woman said, “Sometimes, when I reach the office late due to the unprecedented rush of commuters at my bus stop every morning, I see a red circle round my name in the attendance register. After reaching my desk, sometimes I have to see the boss and answer his questioning.”
Naureen, a government employee, said, “In the absence of office transport, what distresses me the most is traveling between my I-10 Markaz home and the Pak Secretariat. It’s because of limited availability of public transport, especially in the morning and evening. What hurts the most is the foul language of the bus drivers and conductors,” she said.
Source: Daily Times
Date:2/1/2010
