GENDER & TRANSPORT

“We promote gender sensitive women and child friendly public transportation system”

Environment and Social Development Organization-ESDO has been promoting gender and environmental justice for equality, rights and participation is sustainable development. Although half of the world’s population is women, only ten percent of global income is spent on them and share less than one percent of global resources. Violence against women is widespread. Gender based violence which often stems from existing socio-cultural attitudes that regard women as inferior to men, take place in various forms like beating, rape, acid-throwing, trafficking, sexual coercion and harassment, regretting in public transportation as well as verbal and psychological abuse are very serious problems in developing country. We are working for empowering of women since establishment of ESDO.

ESDO have been focused the initiative on the emerging demand of the accessibility to public transport for most working women and school going children. It was demanded the “Safe and squire transport for all children and women”.  Since 2007 we are start working to encourage Gender sincerity in Public Transport”. In any typical public transport of Bangladesh, the maximum number of reserved seats for persons with a disability, children and women is 3 to 6, while the total number of seats is around 60. Even though the rest of the seats are where anybody can sit, often male passengers think that women should not make use of the general seats as they have reserved seats for them. The way they talk it indicates that they have misunderstood the whole purpose of ‘reserved seats. As of this practical concourses ESDO strongly promote and work for gender sensitive women and child friendly public transportation system.

Problems women face in public transportation:  

• Poor accessibility due to the insecure, unreliable, congested, overcrowded and unsafe bus
• Absence of a well-scheduled bus system
• Bus’s denial to board women
• Inadequate sidewalks
• Low levels of real and perceived safety in the public transportation
• Fear of sexual harassment
• A wide range of women quit studying due to the lack of appropriate transportation although they attain opportunities
• Seventy% of the total female laborers in Dhaka work in garment factories, 60% of whom walk 2 hours per day to and from their homes

 Solutions: 

• To promote safer urban transport for women in Bangladesh
• Considering the societal norms, government needs to launch more transportations for female passengers
• Subsidiary for low income women
• Rehabilitating the side walks
• Building new fly-overs in crowded areas
• Providing necessary items of equipment to Dhaka Metropolitan Police to function effectively. If possible, provide police at stops.
• Policies for safe transit of women
• Dhaka Transportation Coordination Authority (DTCU)
• 50% seats reservation for female passengers
• Introduction of ‘Premium Bus Service’ that are fast, gender friendly, sitting only and with limited stops
• Provide frequent bus services
• Maximize two door buses

More workshops, consultation, public & media campaign and seminars arrangement to raise awareness Provide training to both public and private service providers on the importance of safety on the roads Raise awareness on women’s legal and social rights Provide gender training operator for skill training of drivers. Consultation, seminar with the male group of the society