British Transport Police (BTP) received 421 reports of harassment between April and October, up from 259 over the same period in 2019.
I have no idea how to put these numbers or that percentage into perspective. Of course, even one case is one too much, I just don’t know what’s the threshold where people can feel safe or how it compares to just walking on the street or whatnot.
But I imagine being harrased on a moving and often crowded train where you limited option to remove yourself from the event. While also facing fear the passengers will judge you rather then the harrassor.
I view that statistic in reality as 6 people, I’m assuming mostly women, getting sexually harassed every day, creating a culture of harassment that even if you don’t get harassed that day, you know that half a dozen other people just like you were sexually harassed that day, and yesterday, and tomorrow.
By putting up that sign of awareness, hopefully fewer people will view reporting sexual harassment or mentioning it at all as taboo so that everyone can help push the number back down and further down past prepandemic levels.
I strongly suspect it’s underreported as well. Speak to enough women and you hear distressingly familiar stories about public harassment. I think attitudes have improved somewhat since my mum’s days (avoiding being grouped on the train to school was apparently just one of those things) but still has a long way to go.
I have no idea how to put these numbers or that percentage into perspective. Of course, even one case is one too much, I just don’t know what’s the threshold where people can feel safe or how it compares to just walking on the street or whatnot.
Male so my view is at best a guess.
But I imagine being harrased on a moving and often crowded train where you limited option to remove yourself from the event. While also facing fear the passengers will judge you rather then the harrassor.
Likely means any event is more stressful.
I think less than one case is probably the goal.
I view that statistic in reality as 6 people, I’m assuming mostly women, getting sexually harassed every day, creating a culture of harassment that even if you don’t get harassed that day, you know that half a dozen other people just like you were sexually harassed that day, and yesterday, and tomorrow.
By putting up that sign of awareness, hopefully fewer people will view reporting sexual harassment or mentioning it at all as taboo so that everyone can help push the number back down and further down past prepandemic levels.
I strongly suspect it’s underreported as well. Speak to enough women and you hear distressingly familiar stories about public harassment. I think attitudes have improved somewhat since my mum’s days (avoiding being grouped on the train to school was apparently just one of those things) but still has a long way to go.