How to protect yourself when you’re on the move.
Whether it is after robots or Sho’t Left, using taxis can help a lot when you want to be cost effective. However, as women using taxis we face some tricky safety issues - in the streets, the taxi ranks and even in the taxis themselves.
We often hear scary stories in the news about the harassment and violence women deal with when using taxis. In fact, a lot of us aren’t strangers to uncomfortable or frightening experiences while on the move. Sometimes someone might try to grope you and at other times a stranger may be following you on your way to catching a taxi. You might even find yourself in situations where someone in the taxi is making you uncomfortable. Whatever the situation is, all you want to do is is to arrive at your destination, safe and sound. Here’s how you can do that.
1. Be a tech savvy traveller
First, remember that technology is your friend. You can use Whatsapp to start a safety group where you and your emergency numbers can keep in contact. Also, Whatsapp has a feature which allows you to send your live location to group chats and individuals so you can do that just before you climb inside the vehicle.
2. Don’t sit inside a taxi alone
Whenever possible, never go inside a taxi that’s empty or stay inside a taxi that is empty while waiting for it to get full. Being in a taxi alone can put you in a vulnerable position. If you find you find that you are forced to be alone, use your emergency numbers and the live location features on whatsapp mentioned above.
3. Say something
Lastly, don’t be afraid to use your voice if you feel safe to do so. Like you, many others are aware of how unsafe the streets can be, so if you’re feeling threatened call out to a security guard nearby or alert a group of passengers if someone is harassing you. If a stranger realises that others are aware of his/her behaviour, they are less likely to harm you and others around you will be able to help. If you don’t feel safe to use your voice then try to move to a different part of the taxi
Share this article with you friends and loved ones so you can all be in the know and work together to stay safe!
