Sexual harassment on public bus on the rise

JAKARTA (JP): The recent robberies and rapes of women in taxis serve as a good reminder to female commuters to be careful in using public transportation in the capital.

Much more, it is widely known that the sexual harassment of women often occurs on public buses, particularly during rush hour when the buses are crowded.

However, most victims of sexual harassment are unwilling to file complaints with the police, choosing instead to suffer in silence.

The type of harassment these women suffer varies. In many cases, men press their genitals against female passengers, most of whom remain silent out of fear.

A Singaporean woman could not hide her anger after experiencing such humiliation on a crowded Patas bus plying the Tangerang-Blok M route.

"You see, the man simply pressed his genitals against my buttock. When I stared at him, he pressed harder and harder. I was afraid and let him do silly thing to me during the entire trip," the married woman told The Jakarta Post recently.

Several local women also shared stories of the humiliation they had suffered on the public buses of Jakarta.

Rini, 21, an employee at a jewelry shop in Senen, Central Jakarta, spoke with the Post on a Metro Mini near the Sarinah building on Jl. Thamrin on Thursday afternoon.

Rini appeared nervous, repeatedly patting her chest. When asked, she burst into tears and related what she had just experienced on the same minibus plying the Senen and Setiabudi routes in Central Jakarta.

Rini said a middle-aged man had attempted to touch her genitals. "He first put a bag on my lap and slipped his hand under it and started to grope my genitals."

At first, she said, she did not realize what the man was doing because the minibus was shaking.

When she moved, the man stopped what he was doing but continued asking her personal questions and asked her to come with him when he got off the bus.

"It's really painful for me. Who does he think I am," she said angrily.

Rini decided not to file a report with the police because she had no evidence.

"The man can easily say that it (his hand touching her genitals) was because of the movement of the vehicle," she said.

Teenager Lusy of Lenteng Agung in South Jakarta also discussed a similar incident she experienced a month ago.

"A young man tried to push his body and genitals against me. I knew that the bus was really full so I thought he was being pushed by other passengers," she said on Friday.

Two female university students from the West Java capital of Bandung faced similarly disturbing incidents.

The women, Meli Melinda and Rusminar, said the men they met separately on public buses were exhibitionists who exposed their sexual organs.

Meli, 19, said she was on a bus from Bandung to Jakarta when a man sitting next to her said: "Sorry miss, I have to do this because if I don't I will get sick."

"The man then showed his genitals and stroked himself repeatedly. None of the other passengers saw what he was doing because he covered himself with a bag.

"I was shocked and decided to stand up although it was still a long trip," she said.

Rusminar endured similar scenes three times last year. "The first time, I couldn't do anything but sit still.

"The third time, I finally was able to yell at the man," she said.

Commenting on these incidents, psychologist Sartono Mukadis and activist Wahyu Susilo agreed the most effective way to avoid being sexually harassed was to do something to embarrass the men.

Sartono said such sexual harassment on public buses could occur anywhere.

"Even though it can happen anywhere, I can't say it has become a common symptom. It is just because of the sick people roaming around public areas."

Wahyu, the spokesman of Women Solidarity, said the problem initially emerged as the result of a social construction which saw women as sexual objects.

According to him, solving this problem will take a long time and can only be eliminated through the promotion of gender awareness. (ind/bsr)