Riders on the Mexico City Metro were startled when they noticed a subway seat specifically for men. It features a molded plastic male torso, complete with a penis.
There’s a sign that says the seat is exclusively for men. The sign continues to say the seat is uncomfortable, but it doesn’t compare with the sexual violence women suffer daily. The sign also provides sexual violence statistics. It said that 9 out of 10 women in the city have been victims of some form of sexual violence.
There’s also a video that shows passengers perplexed by the seat. Some even went to sit in it, but only to immediately jump up.
The sexual harassment awareness campaign illustrates women have the right to get on with their day without being subjected to sexual comments or men trying to grope them.
The Mexican government has tried to combat sexual harassment in other ways. They have started a public transportation police unit that’s all-female, who are in charged with catching gropers in subway cars.
The creators of the penis seat have also worked on another video project. In the video, random men can be seen on the Metro platforms, but only their rear ends can be seen. When they realize they are being filmed, they attempt to cover their rear ends. At the end of the video, it states that this is what thousands of women experience every day.
As for the penis seat, it can be found on one of the Metro’s trains on Line 7.
