Women protected by women

Women compartments in metro trains are safeguarded by female police officials to ensure a safe and comfortable commute in an otherwise unsafe city for women.

The cops ensure hassle-free and swift onboarding of female passengers to those compartments. They also stay vigilant regarding men getting into those exclusive compartments.

Yesterday at 2:15pm, when a Motijheel-bound metro train stopped at Shahbagh station, a young boy quickly tried to enter the women's compartment, but was immediately stopped by a female police member, Riya Khatun, who sent the boy to another compartment.

Talking to The Daily Star, Riya said it's a constant challenge for women police officials to monitor all four doors of the compartment, as each stop only allows 30 seconds for passengers to board and exit.

"During work hours, we don't leave our workplace, as the trains arrive every 8-10 minutes," said Riya, who has been working at metro for six months.

It's very difficult for one person to keep an eye on four doors in just 30 seconds, she said.

Each officer wears a body-worn camera to record all incidents during their shift for security purposes, she added.

Mosammad Ety, another member of metro police, said she is very proud to be working there.

She said officers receive training on how to handle various situations, including unwanted behaviour from passengers.

"Our job is to ensure the safety and comfort of the women passengers,"said Lucky Akter, a female police constable of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. She works at Karwan Bazar metro station.

Meanwhile, the presence of women police officials is welcomed by passengers.

"It's great that the authorities have deployed women officers to ensure our safety. Whenever male passengers try to enter women's compartment, the officers promptly stop them," said Lamia Akter, a Dhaka University student travelling from TSC to Mirpur-10.

However, several women police members have admitted that many male passengers still try to break the rules.

"But over the past year, we've been working to improve the situation," one of them said.

Many female passengers also suggested opening a dedicated helpline for women passengers to report any incidents.

During a visit to Karwan Bazar, Shahbagh, and TSC stations, this correspondent found that during off-peak hours, several male passengers attempted to enter the women's compartments, even though there are clear signs indicating they are reserved for women only.

To enhance women's safety in metro, authorities have deployed a total of 98 women police officials -- 34 from Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and 64 from Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said Saiful Islam, Deputy Inspector General and chief of MRT police.

He said each of the 16 stations has three women police officials working in two shifts.