Why A Moroccan City Is Launching Women-Only Buses

Rabat is the capital of Morocco, and after being in the spotlight last year due to a serious sexual harassment case on a Moroccan bus that was recorded and went viral online, the mayor, Mohammed Sadiki decided to make drastic changes on how public transportation works.

Sadiki explained that making women safe is a priority, that is why he thought of launching women-only pink buses. He also stated that this initiative is really important to raise awareness of daily gender harassment and how it is present in society but hidden behind closed doors. He continued by defending the Occidental society and how they are way past these issues due to the fact that they confront and battle against gender inequality.

There still isn’t a date for the official launch, but Moroccans hope that there will be more resolution around this issue than the pink buses. Many Moroccan women explained how unsafe or uncomfortable they may feel in certain places, but believe that this idea will only create more inequality and tension between the two genders.

A woman explained, “If they put in place these buses, there will only be more inequality, as women who do get on the mixed bus might get more looked at or harassed, and then they will say that she asked for it because she didn’t get in the Pink bus!” while another one stated that this will only be a “quick fix” and they are just avoiding the main problem.

Moroccans are still struggling with this issue, but hope that it will get better with time, as just three years ago there was a new law stating that anyone who harasses someone in the street will get a one- to two-year sentence and a fine between £500 and £5,000.