A campaign was launched on Thursday to ensure a harassment-free environment for women in public transport in the capital.
Shared social responsibility and mutual respect could ensure a gender-equal environment, said government and foreign delegates and rights activists.
The 鈥楬old The Bar, Not Her Space鈥� campaign has been launched by Manusher Jonno Foundation in collaboration with Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority and UN Women Bangladesh, with support from the Embassy of Sweden in Bangladesh at the DTCA Bhaban in the capital.
Under the campaign, over 160 drivers and their assistants from Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation, Dhaka Chaka, Nagar Paribahan and Hanif Paribahan received training between March 16 and 20 to build awareness and promote gender-sensitive public transport.
Chief guest Sheik Moinuddin, special assistant to the chief adviser and attached to the road transport and bridges ministry, urged the victims to speak up when they were harassed otherwise it became difficult to punish the perpetrators.
鈥極ur main problem is lack of mutual respect,鈥� he said, adding, 鈥楳en must also realise that women deserve equal rights and respect in society.鈥�
Mentioning that the Bangladesh government is determined to ensure gender equality across all sectors, Moinuddin added that this journey requires everyone鈥檚 support.
DTCA executive director Neelima Akhter highlighted the need for a proper system to ensure that any act of harassment can be addressed swiftly under the law.
Shaheen Anam, Manusher Jonno Foundation executive director, said that the present interim government came to power through a commitment to eliminating discrimination.
鈥業f women feel unsafe in public transport, it鈥檚 a form of discrimination because it prevents them from reaching their destinations safely,鈥� she said, adding that a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment is essential.
Swedish ambassador to Bangladesh Nicolas Weeks, a special guest, said that this campaign was a call to action for every commuter, every driver, every conductor and every policymaker.
鈥業t is a call to build a culture where harassment is not accepted, and where women and girls feel not just permitted but welcomed in every public space,鈥� he added.
Gitanjali Singh, representative of UN Women Bangladesh, said that women and girls had the right to move freely, safely, and confidently anywhere and anytime whether it is a metro in Dhaka, a bus, or any other form of transport across the country.
鈥楢 gender-equal world is within our reach if we choose it,鈥� she added.
At the ceremony Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited managing director Faruque Ahmed and leaders of different transport owners and workers鈥� associations were present.
