The city of Gujranwala has become one of the most progressive Pakistani cities in recent weeks as the administration has started the so-called “Pink Wheels” project aimed at protecting women and giving them a chance to feel safe. As a public service project, it seeks to ensure women are protected in their day-to-day transport by collaborating with the local government as well as the police and civic associations due to increasing cases of violence against women.
Addressing Safety Concerns
People using public transportation have for many years had complaints in many areas of Pakistan about harassment, verbal abuse, and lack of privacy. These issues are directly tackled by the Pink Wheels Project is the only service that provides transportation for women and only women. All these cars are pink in color and are mainly driven by female drivers to make women feel more comfortable when going to their businesses or other destinations.
The Government says that the initiative is meant to create an option that is lacking in the normal public transport systems where women are at times exposed to harassment. It also opens up a chance for women to work and earn income by acting as drivers hence boosting the economic power of women.
Empowering Women
With Pink Wheels, we are not just safer, we are empowered,” added SVP, Emmanuel. This initiative particularly of hiring women as drivers violates the gender boundaries and makes women embrace the responsibility of being economically productive. More often than not, women in our society are denied opportunities to seek employment hence such opportunities act as a way of empowering them.
The idea of the given project is to bring women into the public sphere and in the type of work like driving that is culturally coded as a male occupation in Pakistan. In this way, they give women an opportunity to have control over their transportation providing them with freedom that is essential in women’s lives due to social restrictions.
Collaboration for Change
It is for the record that the Pink Wheels project has been initiated by the Gujranwala city authorities with the NGOs’ support and cooperation of law enforcement agencies. The authorities have noted that its vehicles are fitted with tracking mechanisms as well as panic buttons that enable women to get assistance whenever they are in an awkward situation. In addition, police services have occasioned surveillance of the routes to respond to incidences within the shortest time possible.
Most local NGOs and activists have played a very important role in sensitizing women about the existence of such services and the need to embrace them for safety purposes. It shows that society has begun to realize that the protection of women is a communal affair and therefore requires joint sensitization.
A Model for Other Cities
However, the Pink Wheels project is only up and running in Gujranwala for now, the plan is that this project will be a pilot for other cities in Pakistan. Comparable ventures like ‘Pink Rickshaw’ in Lahore have proven that gendered transport services work and with the rising demand for safe mobility solutions, more cities might begin to practice the same soon.
The Pink Wheels project is a sign of changes in mindset in accepting the safety needs of women, encouraging the public to participate, and opening up the gateway for other similar initiatives all across different cities in India.
Conclusion
Another project that has been executed in Gujranwala is the Pink Wheels which is a noble project meant to solve the problem of insecurity of women in public areas. This project brings hope by offering a secure mode of transport, creating employment for women, and most importantly safe means of transport and employment for women. This project is far from over; as it grows from strength to strength it is the quintessential demonstration of how people can unite for a common cause especially for the protection of women, with the fulfillment of such a noble cause being a befitting change for society.
