Jakarta, IO – PT MRT Jakarta, the operator of the city’s mass rapid transit system, brought back the special coach for women to prevent sexual harassment on train starting Monday (27/3) after the pandemic eased, said the company’s operations and maintenance director Muhammad Effendi. “The measure was implemented before the pandemic, but discontinued during the pandemic,” said Effendi, reported Detik, Monday (27/3).
The women-only coach, at the front, will only be available from Monday-Friday during peak hours, from 7-9 am and 5-7 pm WIB. Effendi said them measure aims to provide safe and comfortable trip for female riders of Jakarta MRT, especially to protect them against sexual harassment.
“Although we have never received a report regarding sexual harassment since we started implementing it in 2019, we hope to prevent it from happening,” he said.
Transportation observer Darmaningtyas is supportive of the policy. He said one of the effective ways to reduce sexual harassment against women was to separate male and female passengers, and to provide women-only spaces on public transportation.
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While feminist activist Anindya Shabrina conceded that it can be a workable solution, she argued that it is not the only solution. More significantly, she argued, is to educate men, both young kids and adults. It is also necessary to provide full support for victims of sexual violence.
“There are still norms that normalize sexual violence. We must establish norms that reject sexual violence,” said Anindya. (un)