As the morning commuter train rattled down the track, Chinu Sharma, an office worker, enjoyed the absence of men. Some of them pinch and grope women on trains, or shout insults and catcalls, she said.
Up and down the jostling train, women repeated the same theme: As millions of women have poured into the Indian workforce over the last decade, they have met with obstacles in a tradition-bound, patriarchal culture, but few are more annoying than the basic task of getting to work.
The problems of taunting and harassment, known as eve teasing, are so persistent that in recent months the government has decided to simply remove men altogether. In a pilot program, eight new commuter trains exclusively for female passengers have been introduced in India's four largest cities, New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.
The trains are known as Ladies Specials, and on one recent round trip, the ladies commuting between the industrial town of Palwal and New Delhi were very pleased.
"It's so nice here," said Kiran Khas, a teacher who has commuted by train for 17 years.[via]
0 评论
Post a Comment