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In Malaysia, Taxi Trouble

May 28, 2009 By HKearl

Earlier in May in Malaysia, a taxi driver with tinted windows allegedly raped a 17-year-old passenger. He was recently arrested, but a “newspaper noted that women were [still] arming themselves with self-defense products and reluctant to board empty buses. Community leaders and non-governmental organisations yesterday demanded that the authorities do something to better protect passengers.”  Seven women in another area were also allegedly raped by a man posing as a taxi driver who has since been arrested.

The taxi incidents are part of the larger problem of sexual harassment and assault on public transportation feared by many women in Malaysia.

“Selangor Community Awareness Association member and lawyer Honey Tan, said they wanted such attacks to stop and said one of the most common things to happen to women was sexual harassment on public transportation….

Subang Jaya assemblyperson Hannah Yeoh said she felt the Home Ministry should allocate more resources to crime prevention as she claimed many women were afraid to go out these days.”

Many countries have taxi services where women are the drivers for women passengers precisely because of these types of terrible incidents. While such a measure is surely a relief to worried and fearful female passengers, I think it is merely a band aid and doesn’t fix the real problem. Your thoughts?

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Filed Under: News stories Tagged With: malasia, public transportation, sexual assault, sexual harassment, taxi, taxi assault, women taxis

Polite Smile = Invitation to Stalk?

May 23, 2009 By Contributor

Almost everyday I deal with men who are trying to get my attention just because I am a young woman who commutes to work everyday by myself, so I am always keeping to myself. However, if spoken to I am usually a cheerful person and will smile and take the other person into consideration in certain cases.

One day while commuting home during rush hour, I accidentally smiled politely as I walked by a man boarding the train a couple of cars down from where I was walking to, and without realizing it he started following behind me to board the same car as me.

After that, he wouldn’t stop trying to talk to me, and made it clear that he assumed many things about me like he thought I was a German foreigner (probably because I hadn’t acted like he either didn’t exist or scowled at him or something), and he insisted on trying to find out as much as he could about me and following me off when I was trying to transfer. I eventually lost him in the rush of people while going to another train, but ever since I have changed my commute route after work so that I don’t have to run into this guy again.

-anonymous

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Filed Under: Stories Tagged With: following, public transportation, sexual harassment, stalking, street harassment

Harassment on Public Transportation in Singapore

May 19, 2009 By HKearl

I came across this last night:

“4 out of 10 Singapore Management University (SMU) students in our survey [of 135 women] have been sexually harassed while taking either a bus or a train. Sexual harassment is something that happens everyday on public transport, and it’s wrong. Yet, people don’t talk about it. This is something that needs to change.

So a team of us at SMU have set out to bring about this change by organizing an open forum, emPOWER!HOUSE, to discuss issues relating to sexual harassment on public transport.”

The forum took place in March, 2009, and was sponsored by AWARE; I couldn’t find information about how it went (have you?).

In the comments of the post, there is an interesting discussion about the sample size, what is sexual harassment, how accurate the survey information is, etc.

And regardless of what how many respondents said they were sexually harassed, the young woman who helped conduct the survey said she and many of her friends have been sexually harassed on public transportation and, when I hope a societal goal is to have 0 people getting harassed, that shows there is a problem. And with the number of countries that have had to engage in anti-sexual harassment subway campaigns or created women–only cars to handle the harassment, I’d be surprised if it wasn’t a real problem in  Singapore too. In fact, just two weeks ago women-only cars were suggested in Beijing in part becasue of sexual harassment.

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Filed Under: Events, News stories Tagged With: harassment survey, public transportation, sexual harassment, singapore, street harassment, women-only cars

Street Harassment Round Up – May 17

May 17, 2009 By HKearl

Stories:

On Holla Back DC! a contributor talks about her bystander efforts to challenge street harassers. She says, “If I’m close enough when I spot men ogling women who are unaware they’re being ogled, I usually say something in the lines of ‘I saw you do that, and you better not try it with me! Nasty!’ to embarrass them.'”

As mentioned in the last two week round ups, since April 26, HollaBack NYC has been posting one photo a day of street harassers. They will continue to do so for a month. All of the photos are being submitted by one woman, Sally N., a New York City resident. Emily at HollaBack NYC says, “We believe these pictures tell the story of what it’s like to be a woman in the big apple.” Visit HollaBack NYC to see these photos.

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem!

In the News:

  • A man disguised as a woman gropes a woman on the women-only subway car in Mexico City
  • A man in Vancouver, Canada, and a man in West Redding, UK, were arrested and tried, respectively, for sexual assault of young women in public places.

Upcoming Events:

  • May 21: Fundraiser for RightRides
  • June 8 (7-9 p.m.): New Yorkers for Safe Transit are holding a community forum about the rampancy of gender-based violence in the New York City public transit system. “Taking Back Public Transit: Confronting Violence on Board” will be held at Brecht Forum, 451 West St. (btwn. Bank & Bethune), New York.
  • June 27 (2-4 p.m.): Girls and women ages 12-25 are invited to share their stories about sexual harassment on the Chicago buses and subways with the Rogers Park Young Women’s Action Team. Berger Park Cultural Center, 6205 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL.

Street Harassment Resource of the Week:

  • “Let me tell you how to talk to me” and “I Need Respect;” songs written by the Girls’ Leadership Council (HOTGIRLS Street Team) in partnership with FIREGRL Club program at the Harland Boy & Girls Club in Atlanta to raise awareness about street harassment. Find more resources on the Stop Street Harassment website.
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Filed Under: Events, hollaback, News stories, Resources Tagged With: holla back dc, holla back nyc, HOTGIRLS street team street harassment, mexico city, public transportation, Rogers Park Young Women's Action Team, sexual harassment, Stories, Vancouver, West Redding

CTA STORIES: A Spoken Word Event

May 17, 2009 By HKearl

youngwomensactionteamThe Young Women’s Action Team are exploring the prevalence of sexual harassment and assault on Chicago’s public transit system. So far, they’ve been shocked at just how many of their survey respondents reported that they had been victims of sexual harassment and assault on the CTA.

They want to collect more stories and are inviting young women ages 12 to 25 to join them for a spoken word event on June 27, 2 to 4 p.m. They will have refreshments and offer prizes for the best poems, songs, and spoken word pieces.

Event Info
Saturday, June 27, 2009
2 to 4 p.m.
Berger Park Cultural Center
6205 N. Sheridan Road
Chicago, IL

Directions: #147 Bus or #151 buses to Granville and Sheridan. Also the Red Line EL to Granville and then walk 3 blocks to the Lake.

RSVP to Ronnett Lockett at rpywat@hotmail.com

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Filed Under: Events Tagged With: chicago, CTA, public transportation, sexual harassment, street harassment, young women's action team

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