Travelling can be quite unnerving and more so if you’re a woman travelling alone. The need for safe spaces for women is felt all the more acutely in such situations. Recently, a woman took to social media and shared that the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation or the IRCTC allotted her a seat among five men. If you are ever in a similar situation, here is what you can do.
IRCTC Allots Seat To Woman Between Five Men
A woman recently took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and shared the unfortunate fact that she was allotted a seat among five other men by the IRCTC when she was the only woman travelling. There were no women adjacent to her.
There were a few people sympathetic to her situation however, a number of insensitive comments, along the lines that the men would be glad, were also made. If you’re ever in such a situation, there may be a few things you can do.
The first is requesting a seat change unofficially. If you find a different seat where you may feel safer, you can resort to this. You can also ask the TTE to give you a different seat and based on the availability of seats, the TTE may be able to help you out. You can also dial 139 and request a seat change.
Why Demanding Safe Space For Women Is Not Hypocritical
One of the major themes of the comments section of Pallavi’s post was that asking for safe spaces for women was in opposition to the demand for equality; that you couldn’t demand equality in the same breath as safe spaces.
However, what these responses fail to take into consideration is that crimes against women are still quite commonplace. News and media are fraught with new r*pe cases every day. Such things have a very real impact on how women make the smallest of decisions.
The fact that most men don’t have to think twice before getting on a crowded train, travelling late at night and other such seemingly casual decisions is, in fact, a very real privilege that women are not privy to. Knowing that there are institutionally provided safe spaces takes the edge off a bit and gives women some respite from constantly worrying about safety. It is not hypocritical, it is a step in the right direction.
Have you ever felt unsafe in a public space? How else do you think we can be more accommodating and create more safe spaces for women? Let us know in the comments section below!
Cover Image Credits: Canva Pro Images and @pallavipandeyy/X (Formerly, Twitter)
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