A remarkable display of courage

We applaud the courage of 15-year-old Ontora who is braving many dangers to serve as a helper on a BRTC bus. In a hopeful image, on the front page of yesterday's The Daily Star, young Ontora displays awe-inspiring grit, dangling off a bus during her duty as a bus conductor. 

The photograph also shows, disappointingly, Ontora warding off assault from a hawker as he was refused to board a bus at Farmgate. We often see bus helpers in precarious situations, dangling behind buses, putting themselves in varying degrees of physical danger. For Ontora, a female bus conductor, along with the obvious physical danger she faces as a part of her job, she also risks sexual harassment and violence.

It is admirable that the BRTC has employed a woman to do what is traditionally considered a 'man's job'. Although employing a 15-year-old may constitute as child labour, the reality of Bangladesh is such that even a 15-year-old often has to engage in employment in order to survive or support her family.

We commend Ontora for taking up a job in a risky, male-dominated profession, bending many social norms and urge the BRTC and appropriate authorities to create a more conducive environment so that more women can be employed in the sector.