Special Assistant to Chief Adviser (State Minister rank) for Road Transport and Bridges Ministry Sheikh Moinuddin on Thursday urged all to prevent sexual harassment against women in public transport.
Emphasising the equal rights and respect for women in the society, he said that everyone should protest the harassament of women in pubilc transport strongly inspite of being silent.
He made the remarks while addressing the inauguration cremenoy of an awareness campaign titled "Hold the Bar, Not Her Space" to ensure safe and harassment-free public transport for women at the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) building on Thursday morning.
Ensuring safe and harassment-free public transport for women, the Manusher Jonna Foundation (MJF), Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA), UN Women Bangladesh and the Embassy of Sweden officially launched the campaign.
Highlighting the government's commitment to building an equality-based society, he said, "Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus has a plan to build an equal Bangladesh. I hope we will succeed. Everyone's cooperation is needed in that case.
Speaking as the special guest at the event, Ambassador of Sweden to Bangladesh Nicolas Weeks said, “This campaign is a call to every passenger, driver, conductor and policymaker. We need to create a culture where harassment is not acceptable in any way and women and girls feel safe and welcome to travel on any public transport.”
UN Women Bangladesh Representative Gitanjali Singh said, “This campaign is about a simple but powerful truth. Women and girls have the rights to travel freely, safely and confidently, anytime, anywhere. We need to ensure that this campaign is not only visible, but also felt through practical activities, prevention and protection,’ he said.
Presiding over the campaign, DTCA Executive Director Neelima Akhtar said, ‘We have tried to make this campaign visible and effective, so that the messages of preventing violence against women can reach the common people. I believe that by participating in the training of BRTC, Dhaka Chaka and Nagar Paribahan employees, a major change has come in their minds.
She said, there is still a lack of some essential tools in creating women-friendly public transport—such as safety equipment, CCTV cameras and a system that will ensure that any kind of harassment is brought to justice quickly. In addition, organizing such campaigns is also necessary to increase the lighting system at bus stops and raise awareness among passengers for social change.’
Addressing the welcome speech, Manusher Honna Foundation Executive Director Shaheen Anam said that the current government came through an Anti-Discrimination Movement. That commitment includes ending discriminatory behavior against women. If women feel unsafe in public transport today, that is also discrimination against them. Because they are not able to reach their destination safely.
He said, ''No matter what profession women are in, no matter what clothes they wear - indecent behavior towards them is not desirable in any way. And it is a punishable crime. A zero tolerance policy must be adopted regarding harassment of women.'
Earlier, under the "Hold the Bar, Not Her Space" campaign, bus drivers and helpers were trained to prevent sexual harassment of women in public transport from March 16 to 20. More than 160 transport workers from Dhaka Chaka, Nagar Paribahan, BRTC and Hanif Paribahan received training to build women-friendly public transport.
