Labour Party leader hopeful Jeremy Corbyn sparked a big debate on Wednesday by proposing women-only train carriages to tackle the problem of sexual harassment.
#Womenonlycarriages was primarily a vehicle of outrage on Twitter with Corbyn's comments made their way into the news cycle, but then turned into a wider discussion on women and violence. Corbyn said he would consult with women on what they think about the idea and he would propose a 24-hour hotline to report harassment.
Labour leadership rivals Yvette Cooper and Andy Burnham jumped on Corbyn's comments to the Independent about his proposals.
Just got off tube. Majority of passengers women. Why should we have to shut ourselves away to stay safe? Stop #VAWG instead #segregation— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) August 26, 2015
Figures from the British Transport Police show that recorded sexual offences on trains and at stations have risen 25% to a record level. This could partially be due to a public awareness campaign to report such offences, after a survey suggested that 90% of incidents went unreported.
The idea for women-only carriages was suggested by rail minister Claire Perry in September last year. Mexico, Japan, India and Indonesia are among the countries who have women-only train carriages. But backlash against Corbyn's mention of it lit up Twitter on Wednesday.
Here's a better idea; raise your sons to respect women and not make them feel they HAVE to travel in fear of abuse. #womenonlycarriages— Mama Kin ॐ (@Foxy_Blue) August 26, 2015
Laura Bates of the Everyday Sexism campaign rejected the idea, saying on Twitter: "Women-only carriages suggest harassment/sexual violence is innate & inevitable so women's responsibility to avoid."
However, the issue has managed to bring violence and sexual harassment into public discussion.
Victim-blaming has become so common that we even fear building safe spaces, because we know they will be used against us #womenonlycarriages— Holly (@hollycassell) August 26, 2015
Well done #JeremyCorbyn You've got the whole country discussing Violence against Women & Girls - Bravo - about time #womenonlycarriages— Mort (@CaronMorton) August 26, 2015