Not About Separating Carriages, Komnas Perempuan Emphasises Safe Public Transport for All

JAKARTA - A member of the National Commission on Violence Against Women, Yuni Asriyanti, has emphasised that policies for protecting women must not stop at separation approaches such as women-only carriages. According to her, separating carriages is a temporary measure but not the primary solution for ensuring a sense of safety for women in public transport, particularly regarding cases of sexual harassment. “This step can be a temporary effort, but it must not replace the responsibility of the state and service providers to build a transport ecosystem that is safe for all,” Yuni said in a written statement on Wednesday (29/4/2026). This underscores that women-only carriage separation policies do not automatically guarantee women’s safety as users and instead risk perpetuating discrimination and diverting attention from the root problems. “Namely, the lack of a transport ecosystem that is safe from violence as well as reliable in terms of safety for all users,” she stated. Second, security from sexual violence and other gender-based forms of violence through a comprehensive system, including effective monitoring, education, law enforcement, and service design that is truly safe and inclusive. “Many victims are of productive age, who are part of the economic backbone of the family,” Yuni said. On the other hand, Yuni also highlighted the KRL Commuter and Argo Bromo train collision incident in East Bekasi on Monday (27/4/2026). According to Yuni, the state must conduct gender-perspective evaluations to ensure that safety standards, emergency procedures, and transport policy designs truly protect all users from accident risks.