Over a period of eight months, nine items of a woman's clothing were cut by someone using the Metro. The woman surnamed Jiang said she had stopped taking the Metro last week, and spent another 30 minutes taking the bus to work, according to a report in the Shanghai Morning Post.

Jiang who works in Lujiazui used to take the Metro to her office every day. But last October, the pretty young woman began suffering frequent harassment. Her dress was cut by three slashes each 2 to 3 centimeters in length.

Similar incidents happened one after another. Up to June 9, six dresses, two overcoats and a coat had been cut in the Metro, with damage totaling roughly 7,000 yuan (US$846). All the cuts were made in the fabric over the hips.

After carrying the story of Jiang's experience, the newspaper also received similar complaints from over 10 other women. Miss Wu said four pieces of her clothing had also been slashed in the Metro, she found all of the damaged clothes were expensive and brightly colored.

The police said that someone had also stamped on a woman's white close-to-body pants. Such harassment happens most often in summer in crowded public places such as the Metro and buses.

Even if the troublemaker were caught, the police could only punish them according to relevant regulations, which might not suffice to control the situation efficiently. The police said such harassment might be mischief, but the possibility of psychological abnormality also exists.

The police reminded young women to pay close attention. If anyone engages in an abnormal action nearby, women should keep their distance, ask for help from others or report to the police.

(Shanghai Star June 22, 2004)