Women on the bus say ‘we don’t feel safe!’
Every woman has or knows someone with a story of sexual harassment.
A study by Transport Scotland found a third of women are concerned for their safety on public transport.
Many female travellers are in a constant state of vigilance and alert friends and family of their location so they can be tracked.
Amy Murning, 20, was sexually assaulted on a Glasgow bus while travelling to work.
“A man got on and sat right next to me, he continued to speak to me and harass me by showing me photos of his naked body,” she said. “He started stroking my leg, asking to see my tattoos and I was trying to get off the bus and he was refusing to let me up.
“He was asking what stop I was getting off at and it was the worst fear I’ve ever had in my life.
“Once I got to work I was genuinely traumatised, I was shaking, I was really distraught and crying so much that they had to send me home,” she added.
She then took the Subway to get home, somewhere sexual offences also occur often.
Data from the UK Government Equalities Office shows that between 2021 and 2022, of those who experienced sexual assault, 28% of them were on public transport.
Last week while travelling by train to Edinburgh a woman awoke to a naked man on the seat next to her.
This raised the widely debated question, are women-only carriages needed on trains?
Scottish Transport Minister, Jenny Gilruth, has campaigned in favour of them after personal experience of feeling unsafe on trains.
Ms Gilruth wants to improve women’s safety on public transport as she said they are scared to use public transport because of men.
Many are opposed to the idea of women-only carriages with Spectator journalist, Mary Wakefield, calling it “insulting”.
Those against the idea say a lot of the time women feel uncomfortable but not unsafe.
They argue that people likely to commit sexual offences will not do so on public transport as there is a high risk of arrest.
Bystanders are encouraged to be active in stopping this sort of behaviour from happening if they witness it on public transport.
If you do have an incident to report you can text the British Transport Police on: 61016
To talk to someone if you have experienced sexual assault or harassment contact NHS inform turn to SARCS: 0800 148 88 88
