Wang Lailin, 20, a university student from Zhengzhou, Henan province, felt the first flush of success after she used the men`s toilet in Beijing.
来自河南郑州,20岁的大学生王莱琳(音译)在北京使用过男厕后,第一次感到胜利的喜悦。
"Women were waiting outside and some were using the men`s toilet. So I followed them. It was quicker and I saved time as I had a train to catch," she said.
她表示:“女同胞们在厕所外面排队等候,有一部分人去了男厕所,所以我也跟着她们去了。这样更快捷,可以节省时间,因为我还要去赶车呢。”
Wang is one of those who benefited from the "Occupy Men`s Toilet" group, which wants more public conveniences for women.
王莱琳是“占领男厕”行动的受益者之一。此次行动的目的是让女性能在公共场所享有更多的方便。
Female students in Beijing on Sunday occupied cubicles in the men`s toilet near Deshengmen. Their purpose was to make sure that women who were waiting outside could use the facilities first. Volunteers outside the toilet held banners demanding "More conveniences for women, more gender equality".
上周日,一群北京女大学生占领了德胜门附近的某处男厕的厕位。她们此举是想让在外等候的女同胞们优先入厕。厕所外的志愿者们手持横幅,呼吁“让女性更方便,让男女更平等”。
"It`s more difficult for women to answer the call of nature than for men as there are insufficient public women`s toilets and the time women spend in the toilet is two or three times that of men," said organizer Li Tingting, 23, a university student from Beijing.
来自北京某高校,23岁的李婷婷(音译)是此次活动的组织者。她表示:“由于公共女厕数量不足,女生如厕比男生要困难得多,而且女性使用厕所的时间是男性的2到3倍。”
Li staged the first occupation on Feb 19 at a public toilet in Guangzhou, and set off a fierce public debate.
2月19日,李婷婷首次策划了“广州占领男厕所”活动,引发公众热议。
The urban management commission of Guangzhou responded last week. It said that since March, new and renovated women`s toilet cubicles in Guangzhou have been required to cover an area at least 1.5 times that of a men`s cubicle. Colleges and universities in Guangzhou have already enlarged women`s cubicles.
上周,广州城市管理委员会对此作出回应,称自3月起,广州新建、改建的女厕厕位不得低于男厕的1.5倍。广州的各大高校都已经增加了女厕的厕位。
Similar incidents can be traced back to 1996 in Taiwan. Following a protest by a group of female college students, toilet cubicles for women were enlarged.
类似的事件可以追溯到1996年。那时在台湾,一群女大学生发起了抗议,随后女厕厕位便得以增加。
According to an online survey on Sina Weibo about 84 percent of netizens, out of 2,824 who replied, were in favor of building more public toilets for women, while 9 percent were against it.
根据新浪微博的一项网络调查显示,在2824位回馈者中,有约84%的网民赞成修建更多女厕,仅有9%的网友表示反对。
The occupation is on a temporary basis out of understanding for men`s needs.
考虑到男士们的需求,占领活动都秉承短时的基本原则。
"We only occupy the men`s restroom for 3 minutes, holding it for women who are in a hurry to go to the toilet. A new round of `occupation` follows 10 minutes later. Men also need to use the facilities. Volunteers explain to passers-by just what is happening," Li said.
李婷婷表示:“我们每次占领男厕只持续3分钟的时间,让那些内急的女士先如厕。新一轮的“占领”会在10分钟后进行。男士们也需要上厕所。志愿者会向行人们解释缘由。
Li was adamant that the occupations are not anti-male.
李婷婷坚决声称占领活动并非歧视男性的。
Men also have mothers, wives and daughters, and they have to wait for their loved ones outside toilets, she said.
她表示,男士们也有母亲妻女,他们也不得不在厕所外等候自己的爱人。
However, an elderly man in his 70s, who declined to be named, was angry at the occupation.
不过,一位年过七旬,不愿透露姓名的大爷对此次占领活动表示很生气。
"How could you do this? Men`s toilets are built for men, not for women. What if a man wants to go to the toilet? It`s over the top," he said.
他说:“你们怎么可以这样做?男厕是为男士而建,不是给女士使用的。如果有男士要上厕所怎么办?这太过分了。”
Guo Jianmei, a public interest lawyer specializing in rights for women and children, saw it differently. "It`s more than an act. We should respect women`s rights. China has rules about public toilets but it`s difficult to carry them out."
专门从事妇女与儿童权益保护的公益律师郭建梅却持不同观点。她表示:“这不仅仅只是一次行动那么简单。我们应该尊重妇女的权利。我国有关于公厕的规定,却难于实施。”
Guo said she is drafting a proposal on how to implement the rules, and would talk to some national legislators and political advisers.
郭建梅称自己正在起草一份有关此类规定实施细节的提案,并将会和国家立法人员与政治顾问进行商谈。
In Beijing, the size ratio of men`s and women`s toilet cubicles is 1:1.5. But Li said the proportion should be 1:2 not just in Beijing but nationally, and unisex toilets should be promoted.
在北京,男女厕位的比例为1:1.5。但李婷婷表示不单单只是在北京,全国范围内的这一比例应达到1:2。此外还应推广无性别公厕。
"Architects have to estimate how many people use a cubicle," said Jiang Zhongguang, a professor from the Urban Research Center at Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture.
来自北京建筑工程学院城市研究中心的蒋忠光教授(音译)表示:“建筑师们必须要估算出每个厕位的使用人数。”
"We should also consider rush hour and off-peak hours. Increasing cubicle size means more investment," Jiang said.
蒋忠光还表示:“我们还要考虑高峰和非高峰时段。扩大厕位面积意味着增加投资。”
The number of women`s cubicles should be increased in some places, such as shopping malls, because women go shopping more often than men, he said.
他说,应当增加一些场所的女厕厕位数量,比如购物中心,因为女士比男士更爱逛商场。
The cost of rebuilding urinals into unisex cubicles is not expensive, he said, but pointed out that they are only suitable in some places and there are issues of safety.
他表示,将小便池改建成无性别厕位的费用并不高。但同时也指出,无性别公厕只适于某些场所,且存在安全问题。
"Taiwan is promoting unisex toilets and there is an alarm in each cubicle to avoid sexual harassment. I think that is a good idea," Li said.
李婷婷表示:“台湾就在推广无性别公厕,且每个厕位都装有警报器,以防止性骚扰。我觉得这是个好办法。”
Cui Xuan, deputy chief of the environmental sanitation division at the Beijing municipal commission of city administration and environment, said the issue was important.
北京市市政市容管理委员会环卫处副处长崔轩称这个问题需要重视。
"Unisex toilets are convenient for those who have to look after the physically challenged, the elderly or kids. Beijing has these toilets, mostly in urban areas."
崔轩表示:“无性别公厕可以为那些需要照顾残疾人、老人和小孩儿的人提供方便。北京拥有这样的公厕,大多数都建在市区里。”作者: kobe 时间: 2012-2-29 19:42