A woman’s account of the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl on a Yangon bus on Saturday has gone viral on Facebook.
Writing on the social media site, Mon Thazin said she was heading downtown when the teenager became upset, saying the man sitting behind them had put his hand between the seats and up her skirt, tearing the fabric.
“I asked her what happened,” she wrote, “And she said a hand was penetrating her skirt… I was shocked.”
Sexual harassment is common on the city’s public bus network, where women often have to travel long distances in crowded conditions.
“He could do such a thing in a bus with a lot of people, and the security for women is worse in an empty place,” wrote Mon Thazin. “Especially girls and young people who come home late from tuition.
The post had been shared more than 20,000 times by Tuesday morning, with women urging others to pass on the story.
“A girl was sitting next to me [on the bus] when I went downtown today. The bus was quite empty as it was the afternoon. After about 10 minutes, I looked at her and found that she was turning to my side and almost crying. I asked her what happened. And she said a hand was penetrating to her skirt through the place as shown in picture (2). I was shocked. He could do such a thing in a bus with a lot of people, and the security for women is worse in an empty place. Especially girls and young people who come home from tuition. I told her not to be scared and asked how [badly] her skirt was torn. Then she said there was a hole but there was still a layer underneath it so she dared to walk [in it]. This guy heard everything we are saying but he just pretended to sleep. This girl is an adult teenager. If there was a child instead of her, I don’t dare think about what would happen. Less secure and disappointed.”
