“No one is safe in a public bus”: Debunking the Gender Myths of Sexual Harassment in Public Transports of Bangladesh

Abstract

Sexual harassment (SH) remains a constant threat in public transport in Bangladesh with overwhelming costs at individual, social, and national levels. By employing an intricate gender and intersectional lens, this study has delved into the narratives of men and women to explore their multidimensional experiences of SH in public buses of Dhaka city. Drawing findings from four FGDs, the study grapples with a nuanced understanding of SH by challenging the dominant “male perpetrator-female victim” paradigm of gender violence. The findings encapsulate that multiple structures of power inequalities shape victim-perpetrator relationships in the specific context of public buses where gender interacts with other social markers (age, attire, religion, education, and disability) to bolster harassment within and across gender lines. Although the frequency of physical, sexual, and verbal abuse is higher against women, men’s experiences in these regards are far more complex due to the inadequate cultural understanding of “violence against men”. A range of visible and invisible structural factors including patriarchal values, gender norms, flawed legal systems, poor transportation infrastructure, and urban management exacerbate gender-specific risks of SH in public transport. This article contributes to the existing body of knowledge on SH and informs appropriate policy measures and interventions to foster transportation justice for everyone.