Here we go again. Another suggestion, this time by the SNP transport minister, Jenny Gilruth, to introduce women-only carriages on public transport in order to address the ‘systemic problem’ of women feeling too scared to travel ‘because of men’s behaviour’. Does that mean it’s okay for men to sexually assault women in mixed carriages?
Rather than addressing the fact that rape is obscenely under prosecuted in this country (with around 1 per cent of reported rapes ending in a conviction in England and Wales) the minister is following in the footsteps of the likes of Jeremy Corbyn in coming up with a bonkers idea to keep women safe. How about deterring men from sexually harassing and assaulting women instead? Isn’t that a novel idea? If men thought that there might be consequences for their actions, guess what? They might think twice before putting their hands on a female commuter.
Segregated areas on public transport are in use in several countries around the world, such as Iran, Japan, India, the UAE, Egypt, Indonesia, Brazil, and Mexico.
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