We’ve heard of pickpockets on buses, sleazy bus conductors, beggars and others, trying to make a fast buck from passengers. But there’s a darker crime that lurks in buses; one that pilfers something more precious than a few rupees from your wallet.
We’ve all heard about it; and if you’re a woman you’ve most probably experienced it at least once in your life. The harrowing experience of being harassed by men while commuting by bus is something we Sri Lankan women are all too familiar with.
The problem today, is that sexual harassment in buses is so rampant that it has become an accepted part of public transport.
Most common in crowded buses, sexual harassment of women demands for action to be taken by the appropriate authorities. Nicole (26), doesn’t use the bus if she can help it anymore. Forking out more cash to use alternative modes of public transport, Nicole says she’s been through some of the worst forms of harassment on buses. “From ‘accidentally’ touching, to gropes to pressing up against me,” recalls Nicole bitterly. “If only I could speak fluent Sinhalese I’d yell at them.”
Seven years since she was molested while travelling by bus, Bhagya (21) is still disturbed by the events that took place on the particular bus ride home. “My younger sister and I were travelling home from school, it was between 4.30pm and 5.00pm and the 177 bus we boarded was crowded so we had to sit away from each other. The lady seated beside me vacated her seat, and a much older man swooped in and occupied it. A while later I had fallen asleep and woke up when I felt something uncomfortable and sensed something wasn’t right. Thankfully my school had warned us of such situations and advised us on how to react. When I saw what he was doing, I got up and immediately told the conductor. The bus was stopped and some brave men hauled him out of the bus and beat him,” recalls Bhagya. She says both her younger sisters too have had similar experiences which have occurred more than once.
The Women and Children’s Bureau advises women to follow Bhagya’s example. They urge women to first create a scene when faced with such a situation. This would embarrass the male factor and have the conductor and other passengers to come to their aid. However, they concede that women in general are diffident and mortified when they are victimized, and rarely react in such a way. The next best step they suggest is to inform the bus conductor. If he neglects to take action against the offender, the bureau recommends noting the licence plate number and the route of the bus and making a complaint at the nearest police station or calling 119 or the Women and Children’s Bureau on their hotline- 011 2444444.
However, Fathima (20) says those aren’t viable options at times. “Just today I had the horrible experience of being harassed on the bus”, she says cringing in disgust. “I was standing close to the door when a man who was making an exit grabbed me and quickly jumped off the bus. Anisha (24) says she’s too traumatised to take the 154 bus route to Bambalapity after a particular incident on a busy Monday morning. Too shaken up by the incident to reveal the horrific details, she says “it isn’t something that should be taken lightly or cast aside just because it’s so common. I felt so violated that day; I walked back home in tears. How would you feel if some disgusting stranger uses you to sexually gratify himself and you are vulnerable and helpless”?
Ramiya (20) who is part of a women’s organisation Reach Out, had a similar experience as Bhagya except it happened to her twice during her O/L year. On both occasions she was heading home from school and on the 176 bus route. Having not been told how to react in such situations, unlike Bhagya, Ramiya had not informed the bus conductor. “I usually tell them off in a harsh tone or get off the bus as soon as I can,” she says. “It’s sad that nothing is being done about this just because it’s so widespread, and Sri Lankan women rarely take action. A woman’s body belongs to her and it is wrong for anyone to touch a woman inappropriately, this is something society has to understand but people aren’t concerned about it and they just shrug it off”. She goes on to say that the authorities, such as the police and government must take action to bring an end to sexual harassment of women in buses. She also urges schools to implement sex education in schools and inform students of sexual harassment and how to deal with it.
Extending to other men, it appears men are indirectly affected by ‘bus perverts’- as they are commonly referred to. “I always make sure not to get too close when it’s a woman”, says Adrian (21), “I usually try my best not to have any physical contact at all. Which usually means straining myself on the bars. I’d rather stay away than be slapped with footwear and be branded by ‘Ranpa’ and whatnot”. Agreeing with Adrian about how he’d take discomfort over being falsely called out as a bus pervert, Daniel (23) says he thinks twice about occupying a free seat when a woman is seated in a corner.
It’s clear that sexual harassment on buses is a significant problem. Prevalent and afflictive- both physically and mentally to women, it’s never too late to attempt curbing it from occurring. It’s up to the police, schools, parents and relatives of young girls and women, as well as the general public to do their part to ensure that we see the end to it. |
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