Sexual harassment is a big deal to Metro. It's so big that the agency surveyed a thousand riders.
One in five said it happened to them. Two thirds said they experienced sexual harassment on a train and about a third of people said they've experienced it on the bus.
Metro even broke this down by type of harassment: Most of it was verbal assaults, many riders report being rubbed on and public masturbation, like in the latest cases, was not that common.
But here's the problem: These numbers could be a lot smaller than reality.
Metro thinks so many incidents are not reported and it has a new campaign reminding riders to report sexual harassment.
Here's Metro's three tips:
- If it happens to you, call it out. Say hey-- that's inappropriate. Often just a simple exclamation can stop it.
- Recruit help. Involve others who are seeing or hearing harassment. Victims advocates say there's power in numbers.
- Report it. Metro has a hotline, a text line and a web portal. Or you can simply tell a Metro employee.
"If we all together speak out against harassment on public transit then we can all together make a system that's safe for everyone," said Jessica Raven, Collective Action for Safe Spaces.
Victims advocates say this is a good start, but Metro's duty is not over.
There has not been a new sexual harassment survey in more than a year. They also want more announcements in stations.
