The 'Women on Wheels' program aims to empower female motorbike riders in Pakistan

Record ID: 1893267

  • Title: The 'Women on Wheels' program aims to empower female motorbike riders in Pakistan
  • Date: 30th December 2024
  • Summary: LAHORE, PAKISTAN (RECENT - SEPTEMBER 30, 2024) (REUTERS) SENIOR TRAFFIC WARDEN AND COURSE INSTRUCTOR, HUMAIRA RAFAQAT, OBSERVING PARTICIPANT START MOTORBIKE RAFAQAT AIDING PARTICIPANT ON MOTORBIKE VARIOUS OF PARTICIPANT RIDING MOTORBIKE AROUND TRAINING CONES 23-YEAR-OLD PROGRAM GRADUATE, GHANIA RAZA, RIDING MOTORBIKE WITH PILLION PASSENGER (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu and English) 23-YEAR-OLD PROGRAM GRADUATE, GHANIA RAZA, SAYING: “It will help a lot in breaking the glass ceiling. We often talk about women empowerment. I believe for me personally bike riding is not just an activity or amusement. It is something that really empowers us.” RAFAQAT EXPLAINING MOTORBIKE FUNCTIONS TO PARTICIPANTS RAFAQAT TALKING, GRIPPING HANDLEBAR RAFAQAT CONDUCTING LESSON (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) SENIOR TRAFFIC WARDEN AND COURSE INSTRUCTOR, HUMAIRA RAFAQAT, SAYING: "Young women are quick learners because they are enthusiastic and willing to take risks. If, God forbid, they have a mishap, such as a fall, they do not lose confidence. In contrast, older women tend to be more cautious and thus learn driving skills more slowly compared to the younger trainees. From the start, older learners are often preoccupied with fears of falling and concerns about how their families would be affected if they were injured, or if a bone get fractured. These fears complicate their learning process and delay their progress." TRAFFIC WARDEN AND COURSE INSTRUCTOR, SOHAIL MUDASSAR, CONDUCTING LESSON AROUND MOTORBIKE MUDASSAR STEPPING ON KICKSTAND / MUDASSAR TEACHING COURSE (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) TRAFFIC WARDEN AND COURSE INSTRUCTOR, SOHAIL MUDASSAR, SAYING: “My basic work is to conduct lessons about traffic rules. I tell them about traffic rules, traffic signs, street lines and systems, and road safety. When they are aware of all these rules, then they will be able to drive a motorcycle on the road.” VARIOUS OF COURSE PARTICIPANTS WEARING PROTECTIVE GEAR RAFAQAT HELPING PRIVATE SCHOOL TEACHER AND MOTHER OF THREE, SHUMAILA SHAFIQ, WEAR HELMET SHAFIQ ADJUSTING HELMET VARIOUS OF SHAFIQ RIDING MOTORBIKE (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) 36-YEAR-OLD MOTHER OF THREE AND PART-TIME FASHION DESIGNER, SHUMAILA SHAFIQ, SAYING: "Learning to ride a motorbike has bee a great convenience for me. Now, as the one in charge of the household, I can drop my children off at school. In this context, I feel it is valuable to learn this skill." VARIOUS OF RAFAQAT HELPING TO PUSH COURSE PARTICIPANT ON MOTORBIKE (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) 22-YEAR-OLD STUDENT, LAIBA RASHID, SAYING: "This program has brought positive changes in my family. My aunt heard about this program and she wants to join the next batch. My other sister has also learnt about this. I am the first girl in my family to learn this (riding a motorbike). Now, several women and girls in my neighbourhood are saying they also want to learn this (riding a motorbike).” WOMAN DRIVING SCOOTER ON CROWDED ROAD LAHORE, PAKISTAN (RECENT - NOVEMBER 5, 2024) (REUTERS) WOMAN RIDING SCOOTER DOWN MAIN ROAD WOMAN RIDING MOTORBIKE WITH FEMALE PILLION PASSENGER WOMAN RIDING SCOOTER, MAKING TURN ON ROAD VARIOUS OF WOMEN RIDING SCOOTERS DOWN MAIN ROAD
  • Embargoed: 13th January 2025 06:58
  • Keywords: motorbike pakistan rescue 1122 traffic warden women on wheels wow
  • Location: LAHORE, PAKISTAN
  • City: LAHORE, PAKISTAN
  • Country: Pakistan
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Education,Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA001693504112024RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: On a grassy dirt yard, about a dozen women gathered around an instructor, listening attentively to her every word.
    They are participants of the Women on Wheels (WOW) motorcycle driving programme offered free by the Lahore traffic police.
    Although the programme is 7 years old, it's rare to see women driving motorcycles in Pakistan. Women driving cars or riding pillion on two-wheelers driven by a male relative is more socially acceptable in the conservative, Islamic nation.
    One of trainees, Ghania Raza, 23, who is pursuing a doctorate in criminology, said learning to drive a two-wheeler gave her a deep sense of achievement and empowerment: “It will help a lot in breaking the glass ceiling…I believe for me personally bike riding is not just an activity or amusement. It is something that really empowers us.”
    Women driving two-wheelers has been a cultural and religious taboo in Pakistan, but more women are now changing the culture, like they did in the 1980s with regular cars, in a bid to reduce their reliance on men to commute.
    Shumaila Shafiq, 36, a mother of three and a part-time fashion designer, said she has been driving her husband's motorcycle to the market and other places after graduating from the programme.
    "Learning to ride a motorbike has been a great convenience for me. Now, as the one in charge of the household, I can drop my children off at school,” she said.
    The WOW programme has been in operation since 2017, but has become increasingly popular in recent months as car prices have soared and motorcycles offer a cheaper alternative.
    The cheapest four-wheeler in Pakistan, where the annual GDP per capita is $1,590, costs about 2.3 million rupees($8,265) compared to about 115,000 rupees ($413) for the most affordable China-made two-wheeler.
    Sohail Mudassar, a traffic warden, said the month-long WOW programme has trained at least 6,600 women, and the current batch was the 86th since it started.
    Female trainer Humaira Rafaqat, a senior traffic warden who has trained about 1,000 women, said women of different ages and segments of society have joined their programme.
    "Young women are quick learners because they are enthusiastic and willing to take risks,” she said.
    (Production: Naeem Abbas, Waseem Sattar, Shahab Shahabuddin, Timothy Sim, Gabriel Goh, Phyllis Xu)
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