KUWAIT CITY, Aug 7: Women traveling by bus in certain routes at night face harassment from local students riding for free, says a victim who was traveling from Shuwaikh on Saturday.

The victim who works at the Arab Times recounted that a group of Arab youths boarded the bus at a signal in Hawalli after pounding the door of the bus forcing the driver to let them in.

The boys occupied the seats in the back of the bus and kicked up a row making noise, spitting, and tearing up the curtains. They threw things at the lady and when a juice pack hit her head, she took out her mobile phone and began recording their activities, which gave the boys a rise.

“One of the boys came charging at me and demanded me to delete the video. I told them that I work for a newspaper and that I would complain to my boss.” This unnerved the boys, who exited the bus, but not before they slapped and spat on her. None of the other passengers in the bus came to her rescue. She adds that her hair was dripping spittle when the boys left.

The bus driver, a Nepali, later told her that if he doesn’t stop the bus for the boys, they would pelt it with stones causing injury to passengers.

This was the lady’s second bad experience in the bus. In the first incident, a group of Arab boys forced themselves into the bus by pricing open the door. One of the boys then sat on her lap and began rubbing himself against her.

Further the victim narrates that one of her Filipina friends quit traveling by bus because of similar harassments. The Filipina was riding a bus from Maliya at night last year, when a group of five boys boarded the bus and began behaving indecently. They stood in front of her and exposed their genitals. Once again, none of the other passengers came to her help.

These incidents highlight the predicament of women in Kuwait. The Filipina is left with few options as taking a taxi after sundown is also risky for a woman. “The newspaper is replete with stories of women being abducted and raped by taxi drivers.”

The victim feels that driving license formalities for women should be made more lenient, “because the safest bet for a woman traveling alone is to drive her own car.” Probably, the government should also consider disallowing students free bus rides after sunset, she adds.