As if women aren't already living in constant threat of sexual violence by the hands of men, now it's not even safe to take a cab home. An 18 year old Canadian woman was propositioned by a cab driver in my city. The woman told the police that the man was requesting sexual favours as payment, instead of money. The cab driver allegedly told the woman that he'd like to "do some kissing, or something else" as he looked down at his crotch. The young woman was out at a nightclub and needed a safe ride home last Thursday night. She, as most women, would expect decent service (considering how much the fees are) and appropriate behavior.
Is this too much to ask?
Now, as most people know, we as women often resort to taking cabs, at least here in Canada. This is because walking alone at night is not an option in our rape culture. We are told that we are putting ourselves at risk. It's true, too. There's constantly stories of sexual assaults in major cities, some even in broad daylight. So we're forced to live in fear and change our lifestyle to accommodate violent men. This shouldn't be the case, we should be able to walk alone at night without fear of rape, assault or worse.
Ironically, this happens a few days before the take back the night march in my city. I will be attending this year for my first time in hopes that people become more aware of the threats we live with every day on our streets.
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