Pink taxis seek to put brakes on harassment of women
One Egyptian is bringing the "pink taxi" initiative to his country, a project to offer women safer and more comfortable public transportation.
CAIRO — Egypt's new pink taxis are being hailed as one more weapon in the battle against sexual harassment and violence toward women.
After finding success in several countries across the world — such as the United States, Turkey and France — the pink taxi has arrived in Egypt. The pink car experience lets women drive women to their destinations to protect them from potential sexual harassment or attacks. The cars are equipped with a GPS service to track the vehicle’s movement and a counter to calculate the fare.
Al-Monitor conducted several interviews that show a huge gap between supporters of this idea — which they consider an opportunity to limit harassment — and opponents, who believe it encourages further segregation of the sexes.
As violence against women has surged in Egypt, initiatives to address it are increasing. Among them are “Shoft Taharosh” (“I Saw Harassment”), a campaign to mobilize people against sexual harassment, and “Entkallami” (“Speak Up”), which encourages those who have been harassed to write about what happened to them. There is also “Harass Map,” which encourages women who have been harassed to report the incident.
