3 March (Tuesday)

12:001:00 p.m., 41018NW

Social Development Discussion Group & Gender Equity Thematic Group

SEXUAL HARRASSMENT
IN PUBLIC SPACES
Shanny Campbell
Senior Social Development Specialist (GAD), CWOD-PSS

The views expressed in this paper are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Asian Development Bank
(ADB), or its Board of Governors, or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this paper and
accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. The countries listed in this paper do not imply any view on ADB's part as to sovereignty
or independent status or necessarily conform to ADB's terminology.

Harassment on Public Transport

average age to
first experience
public
aggression is

desensitization

12 years old

70-99% of
women
experience
street
harassment

Poland 85%

Croatia 99%
experienced,
33% of whom had
been physically
attacked

Karachi, Pakistan

>70% experienced harassment

75% by another passenger
20% by the conductor
5% by the driver
34% of cases: touched or groped
7% of cases: following, stalking or blocking of
the way
<4% asked for help
The impacts are economic and social:
31% of students, 23% of working women,
20% of home-makers reduced use of public
transport and took alternate (more
expensive) forms of transport
40% avoid traveling after dark
Most feel they have to cover themselves to
avoid unwanted attention

Baku, Azerbaijan
79% of female metro users experience
harassment
Almost all did not react, or only
frowned fear of escalation or
violence
80% of harassed were 18-30 years old
26% experienced help from
bystanders most helpers were older
women
82% experienced harassment on the
train itself
35% on the platform
Not time specific, but more physical
types are experienced when the
metro is crowded
Feelings: angry, annoyed, disgusted
30% have decreased metro use
Possible links with metro
management?

Tblisi, Georgia
Incidence: 45% had been harassed on
public transport in the last 6 months
Location: inside the metro train (78%),
on the platform 14%, near the
entrance 14%, other places 6%.
Type: leering (73%), sexual
comments/noises (31%),
touching/groping (38%), pushing
against you/rubbing body (14%),
itching his private parts particularly to
make uncomfortable (6%), other
(14%).
Most common time: 5-8pm (65.6%).
Avoidance strategy: dont take metro
alone 5%, use metro very seldom/off
peak 52.6%, stopped using metro
21.1%, avoid taking metro in the
evening 21.1 %.
86% got no help from bystanders.

Why dont people help?

2%

Not my business

14%

19%

My help wasn't required

I was frightened

4%

I could not manage to help

0%
2%

I don't know how to help

10%

Avoiding making a scene

8%
It's embarassing
Men should help
6%
Another person helped
I don't think the victim needed help
10%
25%

The harasser was a person in authority

Why does SH occur?

60

52.5

Women wear clothes that provoke indecent behavior among men

50

Women do not act decently/appropriately

Men will be men, boys will be boys

40

36.5

Lack of education among males

Metro is overcrowded

30

Poor lighting

22.5

21.5

21
18.5

20

17.5

Lack of security personnel/CCTVs

12.5
10

No law against Sexual Harassment

9

8.5
6.5

Security officers/ police do not treat Sexual Harassment complaints seriously,

perpetrators go unpunished
Women are too busy to complain

Other

The New Twist to Victim Blaming:

Anti-Harassment Basics
1. & 2. Lighting, and Campaigns

3. Advocacy on Public Transport

4. Apps and Maps

SafetiPin
CircleOf6

Hollaback

OnWatch

SeeSomethingSaySomething

HelpMe

B-Safe HarrassMap
WomenUnderSeige

5. Consequences

Policies of transport authorities/companies

Staff training on how to deal with reports
Staff training on how to deal with culprits
Legal implications
Prosecution
Name and shame/record and play
Transit staff reward and recognition