Report, not record harassment
Jakarta train operator: Footage could humiliate the victims
JAKARTA: Amid rampant sexual harassment on trains, bystanders are being encouraged to report such incidents to officials on board, instead of recording the incidents and posting them to social media.
The spokesperson of train operator PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia (KCI), Anne Purba, said footage of sexual harassment spread online could also burden victims if their faces or identities were revealed.
“Once (the videos) go viral, it can cause shame. It creates an uncomfortable situation not only for the victims but their families as well,” Anne said during a campaign to stop sexual harassment on Friday.
With the commuter line carrying 1.1 million passengers every day, KCI said it had taken measures to address incidents that could occur on a jam-packed train.
The company has installed CCTVs at its 80 stations, opened a 24-hour helpline and is continuing efforts to increase awareness on sexual harassment prevention.
The Coalition for Safe Public Space (KPRA), a coalition made up of PerEMPUan and four other organisations, has partnered with KCI to campaign against sexual harassment. Last year, the coalition conducted a nationwide survey to assess the state of sexual harassment in the country.
It found that in 2018, from a total of 62,224 respondents, as many as 46.8% said they had been sexually harassed on public transportation.
It is the second most common place where sexual harassment is perpetrated, second to the streets – with 15.77% and 28.22% of respondents having been violated at those two locations, respectively.
The most commonly reported modes of public transportation where the violence occurred were: buses (35.8%), public minivans (29.49%), the commuter line (18.14%), app-based ride hailing services (4.79%) and conventional taxis (4.27%).
The forms of sexual harassment ranged from verbal, such as catcalling, an overt sexual or sexist comment, or physical, for example, upskirting, unwanted sexual attention, unwanted touches and public masturbation, among others.