'Safe' cars for women won't go down the tube

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Focus should be on punishing molesters

Pei Yuxin, associate professor of School of Sociology and Anthropology, Sun Yat-sen University [Photo/China Daily]

I'm not denying the good intention behind the proposal. But it may not achieve the desired results. One can safely assume the number of women-only cars will be limited－especially because the total number of subway cars will not increase－and therefore women could end up wasting more time queuing up for the "safe" cars.

Given the already high pressure under which metros operate, the additional manpower and material costs required may prompt people to ask whether it's worth having the change.

Another fallout of the move could be women facing ridicule for complaining or protesting against sexual harassment while traveling in general metro coaches, with the common refrain of male passengers probably being "why don't you travel in the women-only cars?"

The proposal reminds one of the racial segregation in the US until 1964.

Will the pilot plan compel people to believe that the only effective way of protecting women from sexual harassment is by separating them from men in public transport?

By providing special cars for women to ensure they "travel safely", the metro authorities are shirking their responsibility of keeping habitual sexual harassers at bay and handing over the serious offenders to police.

People have neglected the severity of this problem for too long. Every time a sexual harassment case comes to light, people tend to blame the girl or woman for having invited the agony with her behavior, instead of holding the molester accountable.

There's still a long way to go to protect women's rights. Perhaps the authorities could start by maintaining a list of sexual harassers, and naming and shaming them if they don't mend their ways.

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