Photo Courtesy: Google
I shift uncomfortably as a mass of sweaty bodies
is pushed against me. There is a constant struggle to find some open space to
stand in while being engulfed in the stench of the hot summer and perspiration.
I’m dressed comfortably and appropriately but I can sense the hard gaze and
stare of many men that are in my compartment, making me instantly feel anxious
and embarrassed. Several men thrust against me as the metro comes to a grinding
halt making a strangers hand push against my thigh. I feel an unsolicited hand
on my shoulder as I get pushed aside from the exodus that occurs when the metro
doors open to let out passengers at the station.
Every woman who
has travelled the metro has at some point faced this issue. They have felt the
anxiety, nervousness and unease that comes with travelling in the normal
compartment of any metro, a feeling that most men are completely unaware of. To
those men, I would like to simply explain that the separate compartment for women
that’s labelled in most metros is not in fact a privilege that we have obtained
over time through unfair means but a necessity for the safety and the
preservation of fundamental human rights.
The “privilege” that women have obtained over time of
having separate coaches, rooms, seats in public positions, reservations in
institutions has not arisen due to the need for unequal treatment or as an
action to commemorate the superiority of women. It has risen since in a normal
situation women were either mistreated in some cases or in others
underrepresented. After repeated cases of harassment, theft, and assault women
were finally given separate compartments in the metro so that they could feel
safe and secure with the company of other women. Ever since the implementation
of the separate coaches, there have been fewer reports of harassments and
unsolicited advances towards women in metros. A majority of women also prefer
to travel in the women’s compartment as it provides them more personal and
physical spaces and is a comparatively less hostile and more inclusive
environment as they are in the company of other women.
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