Mind your legs! Turkish women fight against mass transit abuse

ISTANBUL

Men who invade women’s personal space on buses and metro by sitting with their legs wide open are being named and shamed on Turkish social media

Turkish women have revolted on social media to demand an end to the increasing number of men engaging in subtle sexual harassment through “leg room abuse” on mass transit.

Two hashtags, #yerimişgaletme (don’t occupy my space) and #bacaklarınıtopla (mind your legs), have hit the worldwide trending topic list on Twitter, after hundreds of Turkish women initiated an unusual awareness campaign.

Men who invade women’s personal space on buses and metro by sitting with their legs wide open are being named and shamed on Turkish social media.

Women participating in the campaign have been sharing the barefaced men’s photographs, condemning the act as uncivilized. Some even argue that the act should formally be accepted as sexual harassment and be legally punished.

“This campaign is one of the most just and most meaningful actions in the recent past,” said one Twitter user with the handle @ezgilite.





However, one Twitter user argued, perhaps in a tongue-in-cheek mood, that "Mind Your Legs" is a misandrist movement which deserves the reply, "My Body, My Decision," in reference to another online campaign from 2012.