More and more Asian cities are offering women-only subway cars. The subways in Japan, India, Taiwan and Indonesia all have such compartments because of the prevalence of groping and other sexual crimes committed against women on public transport.
Now Seoul is joining the club. Korean society is divided over the issue, so officials are experimenting with only late-night carriages. If they prove popular, their services may be extended to busier hours. This is a backward step.
Hong Kong's MTR trains have similar crowded conditions during rush hours. In a city where police regularly catch pests filming up the skirts of women with hidden cameras, groping in public places is also a problem. But there is no talk of offering exclusive carriages for women. This is right.
The problem lies with men, and the readiness of many Asian societies to take such abuses of women lightly. Such crimes are serious and deserve harsh penalities as a deterrent. Putting women in their own carriages only reinforces their image as victims who need special protection. Japan has had women-only carriages for at least two decades, yet sex crimes, including groping, have not fallen.
Societies that marginalise women and girls tend to have the most violent crimes against them. Better public education and a more enlightened social attitude are needed. Sex pests need to know their behaviour is intolerable and shameful, not the subject of jokes. Culprits should face greater punishment than they do now.
Separating men and women is never a good idea in a modern society. It reinforces differences rather than integration. Gender equality is an excellent indicator of social progress. And it is the strongest weapon we have against sex crimes.
