Women applaud no-men, pink-striped metro cars

[icymist]

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) - Women commuters filled female-only, pink-striped subway cars in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro on Monday on the first day of a scheme to avert groping and other unwanted sexual advances.

A law passed by the state legislature and signed by Rio Gov. Rosinha Matheus last month obliged the underground Metro and above-ground railways to have separate passenger cars for women during the weekday rush hours.

"It's the first day today and we had women applauding when men, who had entered their carriage without knowing about the rule, got off," a spokeswoman for the private Metro Rio company said.
More

[derby378]

1. God forbid we should teach men to actually respect women...

Let's just Balkanize the sexes instead!

[PublicWrath]

2. Yes, I don't like this. It's the kind of thinking used to justify veils

and burqas. The next time a woman is assaulted on coed transportation, she'll be told it's her own fault because she didn't self-segregate. No, I don't like this one bit.

[SmokingJacket]

3. Next step, women NOT allowed in other cars. Great! nt

[marmar]

4. A friend of mine says that happens a lot on Tokyo subways too...

But this does seem like kind of an extreme solution.

[Scout1071]

11. It's a problem all over Asia. Bangkok has female only buses

because of groping.

[peacebuzzard]

5. The ladies were thrilled & excited with the novelty but most opinions

felt the exclusivity will be hard to enforce.
http://oglobo.globo.com/online/rio/mat/2006/04/25/246945683.asp

[LizW]

6. Whatever happened to long, sharp hat pins?

That used to be the customary response to public gropers, didn't it?

[CTyankee]

8. went out with big hats. n/t

[CTyankee]

7. I'm wondering if they are applauding because of violence against women

in Brazil. I know their crime is a serious problem.

That makes me sad. Rio is one of the most breathtaking city I have ever been to. I went there when I was 18, a long time ago.

I remember thinking at the time that Rio had the most beautiful women in the world. The Brazilians are great looking. And, judging from the ones I have encountered in this country, extremely nice. Maybe the nice ones move away...

[Scout]

9. don't segregate the women....

just teach them to use their elbows, and their high heels to defend themselves.

You feel a hand groping you from behind, WHAM nice sharp elbow to the solar plexus or abdomen will make that hand withdraw right damn quick. (I have used this one in the very crowded lunch line in high school ... I know that wasn't MY hand groping my butt-crack.)

Someone leaning way to close on you, OOOPS you suddenly lose balance and your high-heel shoe comes down on his instep, hard.

Always follow these moves with a smile and an "ooooh, clumsy me," perhaps a little giggle.

OR you could be direct and tell him to get his goddamn hands off you or you're going to punch his lights out--you must be able to back this one up though.

[LisaM]

10. They wouldn't have gone to these extremes if the problem wasn't severe

I hope that it lasts just long enough to train the men into better behavior. It shouldn't be a woman's job to police herself from jerky men who want to grope and pinch. I've been pinched and groped before and it's ridiculous - there was some guy where I used to swim who did this to every woman who swam by him. So I started going to women only swim and it was much nicer. Maybe if the men are inconvenienced enough they'll start policing each other.