A group of women staged a protest in the central Turkish city of Sivas yesterday where a taxi stand introduced "pink taxis" for female customers.

Protesters from Sivas Women's Solidarity gathered at the city's central square, where they branded the move as "discriminating" against women.

Speaking on behalf of protesters, Derya Ulucan said the pink taxi, introduced 10 days ago, is both discriminating and will not solve the problems faced by women regarding transportation.

With the number of night-time sexual assaults on the rise, many women tend to feel uncomfortable in taxis, which are predominantly driven by men. The grisly murder of Özgecan Aslan, a university student who tried to defend herself against the driver of a passenger minibus who attempted to rape her and the recent rape of a young girl in central Istanbul as she was heading home in a taxi at night, have raised concerns.

Ulucan said that violence toward women cannot be resolved with "pink taxis." "We already have a legal system that hands down lenient sentences in cases of violence and rape and 49 women were raped here in Sivas last year. Therefore, violence cannot be prevented unless perpetrators are slapped with harsher sentences. The pink taxi concept only serves to further fuel sexual discrimination and it is a product of a male-dominant system. Instead of painting taxis, we should help women to become individuals of society rather than objects of desire. We cannot accept the separation of men and women," she said.

Pink taxis, driven by women and only available to "families and female passengers" is the brainchild of a male taxi stand owner who claims women will feel more at ease with other women and have comfortable rides without fear of harassment.