Women only trains carriages might work as a short term solution, but focus needs to stay on tackling anti-social behaviour.
That’s according to two women support groups who have mixed opinions on Scotland’s proposed plans to introduce segregated train carriages.
Spin's Mairéad Cleary reports:
I’ve just missed the morning rush and the platform here at Dublin’s Pearse Station has almost cleared.
There’s a few around though and I asked them do they feel safe on the train:
A man says, "in general yes, but the fact that there is a chance for something to go wrong says a lot as well."
Separately, a woman says, "I mean its not from males or from females, it's people."
"If they're anti social, but that is nothing to do with male or female."
"So absolutely yes - I feel safe."
If you were a lone female travelling home at night, would you feel safer in a women-only train carriage?
That's one of the ideas being suggested by campaigners to improve women's safety on public transport.https://t.co/JRskZMKzwF— BBC Scotland News (@BBCScotlandNews) February 15, 2022
Safety Net
But that’s not the case for everyone.
Noeline Blackwell from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre says train and buses can be intimidating
"Whatever the form of public transport people can feel vulnerable if they feel there's not a safety net."
"If there's no way to identify that they're at risk."
So is the solution a women’s only carriage, similar to what’s done in parts of Japan, the UAE and now maybe Scotland?
Focus On The Perpatrators - Women's Aid
Sarah Benson from Women’s Aid doesn’t think so:
"I would always have concern when the places or the potential victims or what the victims can do."
"That really is not the answer."
ScotRail will be nationalised this year and the Transport Minister there is urging her colleagues to see it as a chance to consider women’s only carriages in the country
