UK private wagon proposal controversy

Chris Williamson, a senior politician of the Workers' Party in England, has sparked controversy over trains. Although Williamson says she has made this recommendation against increasing harassment, women think this step will normalize harassment and restrict women's movement.

Chris Williamson, a senior politician of the Workers' Party in England, has sparked controversy over trains.

Saying that he brought this proposal to protect women from harassment, Williamson was accused by members of his own party of normalizing violence against women and advocating discrimination. Birmingham Yardley Deputy Jess Philips said, "If you are trying to learn feminism from Saudi Arabia, you are on the wrong track."

"Can we keep all wagons safe for everyone, instead of deciding who can travel on which car," said Philips, a member of the Equality and Women's Committee in Parliament, on Twitter.

“Restricting women's movements does not make them safe and normalizes attacks. We have to be clear that the problem is not the sitting plans of women but the aggressors. ”

Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said he wanted to listen to the opinions of women's organizations about women's wagons while competing for the Labor Party leadership in 2015, and abandoned this idea upon intense criticism from women's organizations.

'Going to the distinction between men and women is to imply that the attacks are inevitable'

According to the news of the newspaper i, published in the UK, Chris Williamson says that he brought this proposal because of the increase in the number of women who were abused.

"The feminist writer, Laura Bates, who wrote an article for the newspaper i, said," To distinguish between men and women in public transport due to attacks is to imply that the attacks are inevitable. "It means that all men can attack women, and the only way to be protected from it is to restrict women's freedom of movement."

Bates continued his article as follows:

“Telling women to run away and hide is to say that the responsibility lies with the woman, not the harassers in the community. It also has its own problems: what treatment will a woman going in the mixed wagon face when she is abused?

“Going to the separation of space gives the message that all men are essentially uncontrollable sexual assailants.

“I invite those who think this is the solution to consider switching to a private wagon for men until the attackers are under control. If you think this practice is ridiculous, we have to question how an application that restricts women, not harassers, can be successful. ”