A new survey conducted by a respected Bangkok university revealed that almost half of female respondents have been sexually harassed on the city’s public transportation.
The data, collected by the Faculty of Public Health at Thammasat University, surveyed 1,654 passengers who use public transport regularly in Bangkok, reported Bangkok Post.
The numbers came back that a full 45 percent of females responded that they have been sexually harassed — or even assaulted — on the city’s public transport. To break that figure down further, 50 percent of women harassed reported the incidents happened on buses, 11.4 percent cited motorcycle taxis, 10.9 percent named traditional taxis while 9.8 were harassed on public vans. The remainder, about 20 percent, named the skytrain or subway as the place they were harassed.
Another 35 percent of those surveyed, both male and female, said they had seen other people being sexually harassed on transport.
Krathae, 32, reported that a man had cut her skirt open while she was standing on a crowded car of the BTS.
She said, “It was very embarrassing, because the cut was long and wide and other passengers could see my underwear. I had to use 30 pins to repair my skirt.”
The women that responded said that most incidents happened during rush hour, when the women could not easily get away. The attacks could be visual, physical or verbal,in that order. Included were incidents of people watching porn on public transport when they knew they could be seen.
A quarter of the victims silently walked away while 28 percent reported the act. It is assumed that the rest took no action.
