How to promote safe public transport for women in Mexico and Latin America

This article was also published in Alcaldes de México

Gender-based violence in its various forms is a problem that permeates the entire region. One of the most frequent forms is harassment in public spaces, ranging from awkward glances to touching, photographs and videos taken without the victims’ permission, and sometimes leading to more serious crimes. This type of behavior leaves women in a position of great vulnerability and distrust.

Public transport is one of the places where such incidents occur most often. In most Latin American cities, a high percentage of women feel unsafe in their daily commutes. To avoid becoming victims, women have resorted to different measures such as changing their routes, schedules and modes of travel which sometimes results in time lost and difficulty in harmonizing their productive and housework tasks.

The CAF and FIA Foundation study, called Ella se mueve segura (She moves safely), conducted in three cities in Latin America (Buenos Aires, Quito and Santiago de Chile), contextualizes the problem in the region with variables such as women’s perception of insecurity when traveling around the city and the incidence of experienced or observed harassment. Results showed that in these cities, more than 70% of women surveyed felt unsafe on public transport during all stages of their journey. In addition, factors such as increased presence of men or travelling alone and after daylight increase their fear of commuting.

The situation in Mexico is no different. In the capital, women do not feel safe on public transport due to fear of harassment. The National Survey on the Dynamics of Home Relations 2016 (ENDIREH) showed that violence against women in public spaces occurs, secondly and thirdly, within public transport: buses and minibuses (13.2%), and the subway (6.5%). As a result, reports of this crime increased by an abysmal 433% over a four-year period (2014 to 2017) while the percentage of women using public transport as a commute method decreased from 64% to 52% in one decade.

Against this backdrop, there is still work to be done to banish harassment and other types of gender-based violence from public transport. First, in order to implement effective public policies and improve transport planning, it is necessary to collect appropriate data that shows the differentiated use and enjoyment by women and men in public transport systems . In addition, it is necessary to include women and civil society organizations in discussions and possible solutions to this mobility barrier. Encouraging women to participate in decision-making bodies on urban development and mobility issues can also open up a more comprehensive perspective on the situation and, therefore, of what it takes to solve it.

All this work must be done jointly with several stakeholders, involving public policies for travel methods that ensure safety for women commuters and their families, recognizing public transport as a basic human right.