For women, the freedom to move around cities comes with caveats. Every time we go out, we make a set of complex calculations to avoid sexual harassment, assault, or worse. Here are just some of the questions women everywhere ask themselves before leaving their homes:
"Should I take the train or the bus to avoid catcalls, casual groping, and flashes of male genitalia?"
"How much earlier do I need to leave to avoid being alone at the station?"
"Should I just take a cab back, if it's going to get late?"
I have made these calculations in New Delhi (where rapes on public transit have made international headlines) as well as in New York and London. Sexual harassment on public transit is a global problem—so commonplace that it has becomes a part of the urban scenery. Like construction noise or a bad smell, it's often ignored or quietly endured until it passes.
[For more of this story, written by Tanvi Misra, go to http://www.citylab.com/commute...blic-transit/390804/]
Comments (0)