The Shanghai Public Transportation Companies Association is
planning to help prevent sexual harassment by issuing warnings to
be beamed on the television monitors in buses.
An online survey published on www.zhaopin.com in November 2006
showed that more than 71 percent of Shanghai women had experienced
sexual harassment.
The survey also showed that such harassment increased
dramatically during the summer.
Xiao Wen, who is in her early 30s, said, "I was harassed at
least three times on buses or the subway last year, and people in
charge of the public transportation system should do something to
stop this."
Jiang Peishun, the secretary-general of Shanghai Public
Transportation said, "Since, there is no conductor on most of the
buses in Shanghai, the bus driver cannot effectively prevent such
harassment.
"We have, therefore, decided to make public announcements to be
beamed over the television monitors to warn the harassers and also
to remind women passengers to better protect themselves."
For example, when a woman complains to the driver about
harassment, the driver will start an automated voice system that
will broadcast the announcement on the monitors.
Jiang added that the association was in talks with the municipal
public transportation administration, companies offering such a
service and sociologists to come up with such an announcement and
launch it later on buses.
A manager surnamed Tang with the Shanghai Bewell Co. Ltd, which
offers the automatic voice system for buses, hailed the idea of
launching such a service.
He said, "Recently, the local public security bureau found more
thefts taking place on the bus lines in the Songjiang District than
in the same period last year. They asked us for help and found that
the issuance of warnings via the voice system was very useful."
He Feng, a women's studies expert working at the Shanghai
Women's Federation, welcomes the idea but added, "The announcement
should be worded such that it will scare the harasser but not put
everyone on the defensive."
Cheung Ming, a Singaporean working in a Shanghai-based
advertising company, agreed with He, saying "We decent men do not
want to feel embarrassed or be treated like an accomplice just
because we are men."
Xiao Xia, who is a Japanese of Chinese ancestry, suggested using
images rather than just voice for such announcements to avoid
possible embarrassment, as done by the Tokyo subway system.
(China Daily July 3, 2007)