Srijana Chaudhary.
“Oh! My god some body is touching my ass, screamed out my friend who was struggling really hard to stand safe in very uncomfortable position in a minibus which was excessively loaded by the passengers in the bumping road of Kathmandu. Everyone was standing in an uncomfortable way holding the iron rod leaning over one another. Among them things to be notice are the girls shrinking nose, angry face, murmuring and fighting with the situation inside physically and psychologically.
I said “it’s a normal dear to travel here in a public bus”, but actually is not a normal in anyway. In fact it’s a public harassment and the molestation. The crowded minibus and the public bus inside Kathmandu valley has become a favorable platform for sexual predators.
Purposefully or not, deliberately or not but molestation has become a disgusting part of daily activities for a mini bus traveler girl inside Kathmandu valley.
My friend returned with drained and angry face and said, “It’s horrible. People tries to do, ‘I didn’t feel it normal, the man standing behind me, I feel his lower part of entire body leaning against me, I know it was not coincidentally but he was enjoying the chance, I said him to step back but he shouted back that the people from back are pushing.’’ We are facing a kind of molestation that can’t be complained but criticized. These are the kind troubles we have to deal with. After being a victim what we only do is, we shut up, only struggling inside all alone with a disgust feeling.
“Dai, don’t push, I am feeling difficult”, a girl said in disgust, a man replied, “where do I stand then, should I stand on my own head or yours? A girl had to remain silent she didn’t feel worth to speak again.
Sexual abusers are everywhere who always seek a chance to molest. And for them the minibus are the best place to practice though it is not intentionally but the touching of your body by stranger you feel is really abusive.
If you are a girl you can feel disgust with the elbow of a stranger man towards your breast, the hand touching to your ass. The chin on your shoulder, their body stretching against yours, Hands around you, around your neck and so close to your face. All these things are not normal. It’s all unease touch that makes you uncomfortable.
Despite of all these you cannot act or complain, if you dare hardly to complain you would get suggestion to travel on your private vehicle which will be again an assault and a bitter sarcasm to you. Other thing is you never know who the person to complain because the person won’t be recognized in a crowd.
I have heard and felt lots of these kind of sickening acts from a minibus travelers as I am. Every evening we come to share incomprehensible frustrations of the activities the girls suffers inside a minibus and public bus. Even not fortunate is when you get a seat to sit because you have to struggle while getting off, with the crowd at the door and some sorts of bus conductor pulling and pushing you touching your back and butt acting to be kind.
It’s not a normal to let it just go as it going with a discomfort practice. Minibus/ public bus has become an open platform for sexual pillagers to seek the chance to molest.