http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/414988/1/.html
Poll finds 4 in 10 female undergrads are sexual harassment victims
By Leong Wee Keat, TODAY | Posted: 13 March 2009 0727 hrs
Photos 1 of 1
SINGAPORE: The man beside her repeatedly brushed against her leg. Nicole Oh at first thought nothing of his actions as the bus was crowded. But when he smiled at her just as he alighted, she wised up.
This incident, which took place when she was 14, was one of four occasions on which Ms Oh recalls being sexually harrassed while on public transport.
She and five fellow undergraduates at the Singapore Management University (SMU), including two males, recently decided to find out how prevalent such situations are, and conducted a straw poll of 150 female students at the university earlier this year.
“The guys were just shocked (at the findings),” said Ms Oh. “They didn’t expect it to be so common.”
Two other female project mates were perhaps less surprised – they had, after all, also encountered such sexual nuisances on buses and trains, as did four in 10 of those polled. Less than five per cent did anything in response.
Almost half of the respondents knew of someone who had been sexually harassed on public transport.
When contacted, an SMRT spokesman said cases of sexual harassment or molest on its buses and trains were “uncommon” — it got “about a handful of complaints each month”, out of over two million passenger trips daily.
But as in Ms Oh’s case when she was 14, not all victims file a report.
Indeed, the six SMU undergraduates hope to empower female students, between the ages of 13 to 25, to stand up to the perpetrators and stop being silent victims.
The team is collaborating with the Association of Women for Action & Research (Aware) on a campaign against sexual harassment on public transport. An open forum will be held at SMU on Wednesday, when an educational video will also be launched and promoted via viral mediums such as YouTube and Facebook.
The team has printed pocket-sized cards — to be distributed within SMU and some local schools — with pointers on what is sexual harassment, and how one can deal with it.
Singapore Children’s Society youth counsellor Carol Balhetchet, however, cautioned that the issue was complex.: “There are usually many variables involved. Could it because the place was crowded? Could it be intentional or accidental?” wondered Dr Balhetchet, who felt further study was warranted.
Aware’s president, Constance Singam, said that just because few complaints are filed, this is not a reflection of the true scale of the problem. Referring to Aware’s 2008 survey of office sexual harassment – 54 per cent of respondents said they had experienced this – Ms Singam noted: “Then, people also had denied the existence of sexual harassment at the workplace.”
- TODAY/yt
Poll finds 4 in 10 female undergrads are sexual harassment victims
By Leong Wee Keat, TODAY | Posted: 13 March 2009 0727 hrs
Photos 1 of 1
SINGAPORE: The man beside her repeatedly brushed against her leg. Nicole Oh at first thought nothing of his actions as the bus was crowded. But when he smiled at her just as he alighted, she wised up.
This incident, which took place when she was 14, was one of four occasions on which Ms Oh recalls being sexually harrassed while on public transport.
She and five fellow undergraduates at the Singapore Management University (SMU), including two males, recently decided to find out how prevalent such situations are, and conducted a straw poll of 150 female students at the university earlier this year.
“The guys were just shocked (at the findings),” said Ms Oh. “They didn’t expect it to be so common.”
Two other female project mates were perhaps less surprised – they had, after all, also encountered such sexual nuisances on buses and trains, as did four in 10 of those polled. Less than five per cent did anything in response.
Almost half of the respondents knew of someone who had been sexually harassed on public transport.
When contacted, an SMRT spokesman said cases of sexual harassment or molest on its buses and trains were “uncommon” — it got “about a handful of complaints each month”, out of over two million passenger trips daily.
But as in Ms Oh’s case when she was 14, not all victims file a report.
Indeed, the six SMU undergraduates hope to empower female students, between the ages of 13 to 25, to stand up to the perpetrators and stop being silent victims.
The team is collaborating with the Association of Women for Action & Research (Aware) on a campaign against sexual harassment on public transport. An open forum will be held at SMU on Wednesday, when an educational video will also be launched and promoted via viral mediums such as YouTube and Facebook.
The team has printed pocket-sized cards — to be distributed within SMU and some local schools — with pointers on what is sexual harassment, and how one can deal with it.
Singapore Children’s Society youth counsellor Carol Balhetchet, however, cautioned that the issue was complex.: “There are usually many variables involved. Could it because the place was crowded? Could it be intentional or accidental?” wondered Dr Balhetchet, who felt further study was warranted.
Aware’s president, Constance Singam, said that just because few complaints are filed, this is not a reflection of the true scale of the problem. Referring to Aware’s 2008 survey of office sexual harassment – 54 per cent of respondents said they had experienced this – Ms Singam noted: “Then, people also had denied the existence of sexual harassment at the workplace.”
- TODAY/yt
