Why Harassment on Women in Public Transports Largely Goes Unnoticed

 

Public transport is an indispensable part of daily life for most women in Bangladesh. However, for most of them, the travel experience is extremely uncomfortable, unsafe, and frightening. Women passengers are exposed day and night to word abuse, indecent body contact, and overall disrespect from fellow passengers and transport workers. All this is aggravated by packed transport vehicles, poor lighting, and the absence of responsible in-charge persons, so that public transport is a harrowing and unsafe experience for women.

In 2025, 1,758 women were sexually harassed and 41 raped on public transport and its surroundings during the past year, it is said. Polls indicate almost 98% of working women commuting on Dhaka were verbally abused on their daily commutes, and 68% physically harassed such as being touched. Public transport buses and trains, or metro coaches is still a breeding ground for verbal abuse, unwanted touch, and security lapses, an ongoing and serious issue.

Female passengers are usually subjected to a series of harassment when they take public transport. Some of these are verbal, including obscene remarks or off-color jokes; unwelcome physical contact in overcrowded buses or trains; following them on the way or later; and non-verbal signals such as whistling or obscene gestures. These send a sense of insecurity and fear among most women, deterring them from taking public transport to work, school, or for normal needs.

The majority of women in Bangladesh are also ignorant about what rights they have according to the law and how to report public transport harassment. The majority do not know where to go or how to complain. There is consequently silence and underreporting, which enables the perpetrators to operate with impunity. Harassers are rarely punished in most cases, thereby creating a culture of impunity and making public transport an unsafe space for commuter women.

There is not much good female-only facility in Bangladesh's public transport, so the travel is made hard for women. Reserved seats in most buses and trains are in short or poorly enforced quantities and are dominated by male travelers. No women-only carriages can be seen, particularly outside cities. Few women work as drivers, conductors, or support staff, which discourages a sense of ease and safety. This inability to portray and infrastructure fail to address the specific needs of female visitors and make them vulnerable during travel.

For secure public transport, transport personnel, such as drivers and conductors, should be given compulsory anti-harassment and gender-sensitivity training. Most of the staff are not aware of how to process complaints or remain safe from harassment. Training can prepare them for the skills to recognize abusive behavior, advise victims with dignity, and respond in a timely fashion. These measures would encourage accountability, enhance commuters' trust, and make public transport safer and women-friendly on every mode of public transport.

It is important to install CCTV cameras on buses, trains, and stations to deter harassment and as evidence if anything goes awry. With the surveillance supported by panic buttons during public transport, emergency response becomes possible to enable passengers to call authorities immediately during the need hour.. Furthermore, custom-designed mobile apps for real-time monitoring and convenient reporting of abuse enable women with the power of accessing assistance as quickly as possible. This combination of technologies facilitates monitoring, ensures greater accountability, and makes public transport safe and responsive for women.

Strict enforcement of law is necessary to secure women public transport commuters. The surveillance should be made stricter for detecting and arresting harassers. Prompt legal action under such laws as the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act should be made into a deterrent for criminals. Effective enforcement conveys the message that harassment is not to be tolerated, promotes public trust in the justice system, and provides a more secure commuting environment where women can travel without fear or apprehension.

The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and Bangladesh police are expected to ensure safety for female passengers. The police should regulate public transport seriously and act quickly on complaints of harassment. BRTA should implement standards for safety, monitor transport operators, and introduce measures such as reserved seats for women. Loopholes in coordination and accountability are present. Increased interaction among police, BRTA, and transport operators will be required to improve surveillance, simplify redress of grievances, and overall safety for women commuters.

More streetlights in the vicinity of terminals and bus stops erase areas of obscurity that enable harassment. Women's sole points of exit and entry can reduce unwelcome touching in crowded areas. Panic buttons within buses enable riders to immediately inform authorities of emergency situations.

It is the responsibility of civil society and nongovernmental organizations to offer women's public transport. NGOs can offer legal aid to harassment victims, organize campaigns to educate passengers and transporters, and put pressure on the government to launch reforms in policy. Through research work, documentation, and creation of concern among the masses, NGOs can prompt authorities to crack down and upgrade infrastructure. Their grassroots activism closes the practice-policy gap and enables women to call for safety and accountability in public places.

The majority of the women using public transports silently co-exist with threats of every form of harassment, shifting their travel schedule at times, using longer routes, or limiting movement during night hours to reduce exposure. These daily compromises give testimony to living with a profound sense of insecurity and vulnerability. 

Realization of this truth is critical to the attainment of equal mobility access. Public transports must be remodeled to provide safety, dignity and confidence to all female passengers.

 
MD. Noor Hamza Peash is a student in 
Department of Law in World University 
of Bangladesh, Dhaka.