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Indonesia: Is Women-Only Transport Effective?

July 26, 2017 By Correspondent

Astrid Nikijuluw, Serpong, Banten, Indonesia SSH Blog Correspondent

English version below.

AREA KHUSUS WANITA PADA TRANSPORTASI UMUM: EFEKTIF?

Image courtesy of: Tribunnews.com

Kereta pagi meluncur dari stasiun Manggarai menuju stasiun tanah abang.  Di dalam penumpang kereta yang berdesak-desakkan, terdapat Agnes yang hendak berangkat menuju kantor.  Tiba-tiba dari arah belakang dia merasakan sesuatu yang aneh.  Sontak ia segera berbalik badan dan dengan lantang berteriak ke muka pria yang tepat berdiri di belakangnya,”Heh! Kamu sengaja ya gesek-gesek?!” Pria tersebut tidak bisa mengelak dan di stasiun berikutnya dia pun diturunkan oleh petugas dan dilaporkan pada pihak berwenenang.

Kisah diatas merupakan ilustrasi dari kejadian pelecehan seksual yang kerap terjadi di transportasi umum di Indonesia.  Banyaknya pengguna kereta di pagi hari mengakibatkan hal-hal seperti ini terkadang sulit dihindari.  Kejadian pelecehan seksual seperti yang terjadi pada KRL juga terjadi pada penumpang wanita Bis Trans Jakarta.    Beruntung pemerintah cukup peduli dengan hal tersebut.  PT Kereta Api Indonesia melalui PT KAI Commuter Jabodetabek (KCJ) terhitung sejak tanggal 1 Oktober 2012 meresmikan kereta khusus wanita.  Gerbong khusus ini biasanya terdapat pada gerbong pertama dan gerbong terakhir dari rangkaian KRL.  Selain pada transportasi kereta api, transportasi umum lainnya yang juga terdapat area khusus wanita adalah Bis Trans Jakarta.  Bis Trans Jakarta juga merupakan sarana umum yang kerap digunakan oleh para pekerja setiap harinya.  Dengan adanya area-area khusus wanita tersebut dapat pemerintah Indonesia melalui PT KCJ  seperti yang diungkapkan oleh Eva Chairunissa selaku VP Communications PT KCJ dapat mengakomodasi permintaan para pengguna KRL yang merasa risih harus berdempet-dempetan dengan lawan jenis.  Selain itu ia juga mengharapkan agar dengan adanya gerbong khusus wanita dapat menghindari kejadian-kejadian yang tidak diharapkan yang korbannya lebih sering perempuan. (https://news.detik.com/berita/d-3504057/sejarah-gerbong-krl-khusus-wanita-di-indonesia-dan-negara-lain)

Saya sebagai salah satu pengguna reguler KRL sangat mengapresiasi tindakan pemerintah dalam mengurangi pelecehan seksual terhadap pengguna wanita baik di kereta maupun di Bis.  Kejadian seperti ilustrasi kisah diatas memang sangat mengganggu bahkan cenderung menjadi terror yang cukup menakutkan bagi sebagian wanita terutama para korban dari tindakan asusila tersebut.  Saya merasa cukup beruntung tidak pernah mengalami kejadian ini.  Dalam pengamatan saya membaca berita-berita, semenjak diadakannya area khusus wanita baik pada kereta api maupun bis trans Jakarta, kasus pelecehan seksual pada transportasi umum tidak sebanyak sebelumnya. Namun apakah hal ini bisa dibilang efektif untuk menanggulangi kasus-kasus pelecehan seksual yang terjadi pada sarana transporasi umum?  Saya rasa hal ini masih harus dikaji lebih dalam.  Coba sama-sama kita bayangkan.  Untuk merasa lebih aman, pengguna kereta wanita yang jumlahnya bisa mencapai puluhan bahkan ratusan ribu per harinya harus rela berdesak-desakkan dalam 2 gerbong yang tersedia.  Berita-berita terakhir bahkan menunjukkan kejadian tidak mengenakkan di gerbong wanita seperti adu mulut berebut tempat duduk.  Sehingga akhirnya sebagian dari mereka tetap menggunakan gerbong biasa dengan resiko bisa mengalami kejadian pelecehan seksual.  Dan apabila memang terjadi, akankah mereka disalahkan karena ‘memilih dengan sengaja’ gerbong yang bukan dikhususkan untuk wanita?

Buat saya kejelasan hukum juga menjadi poin penting dalam rangka pencegahan kasus pelecehan seksual tersebut.  Dari penelitian singkat saya mengenai kasus-kasus pelecehan seksual yang terjadi di transportasi umum, pelaku tidak mendapat hukum yang setimpal, bahkan dalam beberapa kasus dibebaskan karena dianggap ‘hanya’ melakukan percobaan.  Bukankah segala sesuatu itu berawal dari ‘mencoba’?  Kalau berhasil diteruskan.  Justru titik krusial menurut saya adalah pada saat mencoba ini.  Jika dari hal ini saja sudah ‘dibolehkan’ secara hukum maka jangan heran kalau kasus pelecehan seksual masih akan dan terus berlangsung di transportasi umum.  Sejauh ini saya belum menemukan hukuman yang dapat memberikan efek jera kepada para pelaku kejahatan seksual tersebut.  Sekali lagi seperti yang pernah saya tulis sebelumnya, hal ini masih belum dianggap serius.  Padahal efek yang ditimbulkan kepada para korban sangat dalam.  Berdasarkan laman resmi dari Komnas Perempuan (komnasperempuan.go.id) pelecehan seksual dikategorikan ‘hanya’ sebagai perbuatan yang tidak menyenangkan dalam hukum Indonesia.  Hal inilah menurut saya yang masih perlu perbaikan.

Upaya pemerintah dengan mengadakan area khusus wanita pada transportasi umum patut kita hargai.  Setidaknya pemerintah masih peduli terhadap kasus-kasus pelecehan seksual yang kerap terjadi pada pengguna wanita.  Namun alangkah baiknya apabila langkah yang sudah baik ini diikuti pula dengan payung hukum yang sepadan.  Kita semua juga tahu tidak mungkin semua penumpang wanita berada di area khusus wanita.  Sebagian akan tetap berada di area umum.  Dengan hukum yang jelas dan bisa menimbulkan efek jera, akan sangat menunjang usaha pengurangan tingkat pelecehan seksual di area publik dan transportasi umum.  Jika tidak maka jangan heran apabila kejadian seperti akan tetap berlangsung tanpa dapat dicegah.

Astrid received her Bachelors of Business at Queensland University of Technology Brisbane Australia. She finished her Master’s Degree at Gadjah Mada University Yogyakarta where she majored in Human Resource Development. Follow her on Twitter at @AstridNiki or on Facebook.

The morning train is on its way from Manggarai station to Tanah Abang station.  Among those many people, there was Agnes who is on her way to the office.  Suddenly she feels something disturbing.  She quickly turns her body angrily and yells at the man standing behind her, “Hei! Are you intentionally touching my back with your p***s?! The man cannot avoid the accusation and in the next station he is brought to the post for further process.

The above story is an illustration of how the sexual harassment happens on public transportation in Indonesia. The crowds of people using the trains and buses in their daily morning makes that behavior seems unavoidable.

Luckily the government has shown their concern towards this matter. Since October 1, 2012, PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Indonesian Train Company) through PT KAI COMMUTER JABODETABEK (KCJ) has run women-only transit carriages in the front and back of the train.  In addition to the train, the trans-Jakarta bus, which is also a common mode of transportation, has a special area for women, the first few rows behind the driver.

Eva Chairunissa, the VP Communications of PT KCJ, said the women-only areas are meant to help women riders feel more comfortable. The government hopes that the women-only areas are decreasing the levels of sexual harassment and that people are more comfortable using the public transportation.

I, as one of the public transportation user, really appreciate what the government has done in order to reduce the level of sexual harassment in public transportation. I am lucky enough to never have experienced such an incident, but based on what I’ve read in the news, the sexual harassment cases have gone down since the launch of the women-only areas.

However is it really effective at decreasing the level of sexual harassment in public transportation?  I think it still needs to be reviewed.  Let’s imagine.  To feel more comfortable and safe, women passengers, who are up to hundreds of thousands in number each day have to use only two carriages on the train or the first few rows on the trans-Jakarta bus.  There is simply not enough space for all women and there are often arguments over seating. Thus, many women still use the regular area in the public transportation and face the risk of experiencing sexual harassment there.  And of course if and when that happens, some may blame them for choosing the “wrong” area.

In my opinion, women-only options are not enough. The clarity of the law is also very important in order to prevent sexual harassment.  From my own research of news stories, the punishment for the perpetrators are not worth it, even in some cases they are not being punished because they were ‘only’ just ‘trying’ to sexually harass the victim…. But doesn’t everything start from trying? If they succeed, they may do it again. The crucial moment for me is at the stage of ‘trying’. If this stage is ‘allowed’ according to law, then no wonder sexual harassment cases in public transportation still occur.  Thus far, I haven’t found any punishment that would realistically act as a deterrent to the perpetrators.  Once again, as my two last articles had stated, this kind of behavior has not yet been taken seriously.

Based on the KOMNAS PEREMPUAN (National Commission On Violence Against Women) website, by law, sexual harassment is categorized only as a “disturbing behavior” that is on the same level as other behavior, such as cheating. This is what needs to be improved.  The current sexual harassment law is not at all adequate to accommodate the range of every day behaviors.

The government’s plan for preventing sexual harassment in public transportation by creating women-only areas is well-respected.  At least the government has done something.  However, it would be much better if this action was accompanied with a decent law, especially as many women still use the regular sections of public transportation. Therefore a stronger law will help reduce the sexual harassment cases on a larger scale in public spaces, including public transportation.  Otherwise, we can’t be surprised when sexual harassment incidents continue to occur.

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Filed Under: correspondents, News stories, public harassment Tagged With: indonesia, laws, public transit, women-only

Street Harassment is Illegal in Buenos Aires

December 8, 2016 By HKearl

Another city passed a law against street harassment in Latin America!

Via Broadly:

“In a unanimous vote, the city of Buenos Aires has enacted a law making public sexual harassment illegal in hopes of diminishing gender-based violence….

The law takes both a punitive and educational approach. It creates an easy way for women to report street harassment as a crime and requires police to take the situation seriously, which has not always been the case in Argentina. Proven cat-callers could be slammed with small fines or court-mandated public service. The legislation also creates educational campaigns within the health, education, and transportation ministries that would teach Argentines that any comment or interaction in the street still requires a woman’s consent. These programs will also emphasize how to spot street harassment and intervene on a victim’s behalf.”

Stay tuned, for UN Women I am working on a guide about street harassment and laws around the world, and I will share a full list in the coming weeks.

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Filed Under: News stories, public harassment, street harassment Tagged With: Argentina, bueons aires, city ordinance, illegal, latin america, laws

Two Efforts to Document and Map Hateful Acts, Post-Election

November 18, 2016 By HKearl

Here is an update on places where you can report discriminatory harassment in the USA, since we know there has been an uptick since the Presidential election.

FIRST:

reporthatesplc

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is collecting reports of hateful and harassing acts.

On November 18, they wrote:

“This is the second update from the Southern Poverty Law Center’s effort to collect reports of hateful incidents of harassment around the country. This report covers the full week (Wednesday Nov. 9 to Wednesday Nov. 16) since the presidential election.

The SPLC collected reports from news articles, social media, and direct submissions from the #ReportHate intake page. The SPLC made efforts to verify each report but many included in the count remain anecdotal.

While the total number of incidents has risen, the trend line points to a steady drop-off. Around 65 percent of the incidents collected occurred in the first three days following the election.

 

SECOND:

harassmentandhelp

“In the wake of the 2016 US elections reports of harassment and hate crimes directed at minority groups of all kinds have been widespread. The purpose of this multi-team effort is to collect and map reports of harassment and hate crimes against [discriminated against] communities. We also seek to collect and map reports of [discriminated against] communities being helped.

Important: This is not an emergency response system. If you are the victim (or an eyewitness) of harassment/attacks, please call 911.

This project is a collaboration between CrisisMappers, Harvard University, MIT and UCLA.
Contact: contact@harassmap.us”

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Filed Under: disabilities, LGBTQ, News stories, public harassment, race, Resources, Stories, street harassment

New Transit Ads are Up in Washington, DC

November 13, 2016 By HKearl

It’s nearly been five years since a group of us testified before the DC City Council to pressure the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to do something about sexual harassment — and they did.

A year ago when we met to talk about next steps, one of their commitments was to a third wave of anti-harassment PSAs. They were supposed to be done in April but after many many delays, they are now up across the system. Huge kudos to Jessica Raven at our collaborating org Collective Action for Safe Spaces for adamantly saying the ads should include focusing on some of the demographics we know are facing a lot of harassment, like trans women of color and Muslim women. Then, when WMATA said there was a lack of stock photos of these two demographics, Jessica suggested she could provide photos of people she knew (with their permission). That inspired WMATA to hold their own photo-shoot and the resulting photos are beautiful.

picture1

picture2

As of Nov. 10, WMATA told us,

“Riders should see ads at the following stations:

Anacostia, Archives, Ballston, Benning Road, Bethesda, Branch Avenue, College Park, Columbia Heights, East Falls Church, Eastern Market, Eisenhower Ave., Farragut North, Farragut West, Federal Center SW, Federal Triangle, Forest Glen, Fort Totten, Franconia-Springfield, Friendship Heights, Gallery Place, Glenmont, Greenbelt, Huntington, Judiciary Square, King Street, L’Enfant Plaza, Landover, McPherson Square, Metro Center, Mt. Vernon-UDC, National Airport, Navy Yard, New Carrollton, Pentagon City, Prince George’s Plaza, Rhode Island Avenue, Smithsonian, Stadium Armory, Takoma Park, U Street-Cardoza, Union Station, Van Dorn, Vienna, West Falls Church, West Hyattsville, Wheaton, Woodley Park.

Additionally, the ads will be in rotation on the 10 touchscreen digital panels at:  Capital South, Gallery Place, Federal Triangle, Foggy Bottom, Pentagon, Farragut North, Farragut West, and Metro Center.”

This year we also worked with WMATA on the first-ever transit-wide survey on sexual harassment (results) and an outreach day at several Metro stations during International Anti-Street Harassment Week. They also began doing sexual harassment training for their bus operators.

WMATA harassment transit ad

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Filed Under: public harassment, race, Resources, SSH programs Tagged With: transit, Washington DC, WMATA ads

New Transit Ads in Boston Focus on Persons with Disabilities

November 4, 2016 By HKearl

bostontransitadnov2016Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has launched a new wave of ads! 800 posters will be on public transit until February.

Via Boston Globe:

“The campaign is explicitly inclusive of people with disabilities, both as people who may experience sexual harassment and as people who can intervene to prevent sexual violence,” Yen-Ewert said. “National and state studies show that people with disabilities experience sexual violence at two times the rate compared to people without disabilities.”

Karen Schneiderman, the senior advocacy specialist at the Boston Center for Independent Living, said the campaign “raises awareness about the issue of sexual violence against people with disabilities and the importance of having services that are accessible to all. I also appreciate that this campaign highlights people with disabilities in the role of assisting others, not just as people who are victimized.”

Learn more at MBTA.com.

bostontransitadnov2016-2

Way to go, Boston! I also appreciate how they say they can be people who intervene, as well people who experience sexual harassment, recognizing they can have agency and take action.

MBTA has a nearly nine year history of anti-harassment ads. The first wave of ads went up in 2008, the next in 2009 and then the next in 2013. I’m glad to see them continue tackling this issue. Kudos also goes to the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center for their partnership on the ads over the years.

bostontransitadnov2016_4

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Filed Under: disabilities, public harassment, Resources Tagged With: Boston, MBTA, transit campaign

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