More than 70 percent of women aged 15 to 45 surveyed in Sri Lanka said they’d experienced sexual harassment on public transportation. The survey was conducted by the Legal Aid Commission.
“[Chairperson of the commission] Mr. Wijeratne said that the victimized women in public transport were reluctant to complain the matter to the bus conductors, bus driver or the police. “The bus drivers and conductors alone cannot stop this menace, and the male commuters themselves should be shameful of doing such kind of bad habits. He further told the bus drivers and conductors were reluctant to give evidence against the culprits in Courts as it was effecting to their daily income.
LAC chairman further said the LAC with the participation of Road Passenger Transport Authority have allocated a two-week period to make the public aware to deter sexual harassment in public transport from last Friday (25) to December 10.”
This is not new information. More than 95 percent of women feel it’s unsafe to travel alone in public spaces in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and one in four women report sexual harassment on public transportation in the country, according to a new report from the Transport Ministry.
In response, goups like Reach Out and Beyond Borders are doing important work to address and stop street harassment. One of my favorite initiatives was the “Man Up” event held over the summer.
I’m glad that the Legal Aid Commission is bringing attention to harassment on public transportation during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence, and I hope they will continue to address it more long-term, or support groups that are, like Reach Out and Beyond Borders.
