HCM City addresses reports of sexual harassment on buses

Passengers get on a bus in HCM City. — VNA/VnExpress News Photo

HÀ NỘI — Bus passengers in HCM City can ring the police’s hotline 098 186 0202 to report sexual harassment and get timely intervention, the city’s Department of Transport has said.

Passengers can also call out bus drivers and bus assistants for immediate support.

Speaking at a conference on Monday, Đỗ Ngọc Hải, head of the Department’s Road Transport Management Office, said the department had received complaints about sexual harassment on buses in recent days.

This has affected the security and order of public transport and caused fear among passengers.

Hải said the centre had regularly implemented the combat of sexual harassment on buses for Public Transport Management with the participation of the city police’s Criminal Police Department.

The centre has also sent data on camera images to the police force to investigate the recent sexual harassment cases.

Currently, all buses have been installed with four surveillance cameras as regulated, including one on the top of the vehicle, which are responsible for monitoring the observance of traffic safety on each route, one that monitor the driver, and another two to monitor the security on the vehicle.

The centre can extract the camera footage to provide the authorities when an incident happens, he said.

In addition, surveillance cameras are also installed at bus stops to ensure the safety of passengers.

To report sexual harassment, passengers can also contact the city’s 1022 switchboard or immediately report to the driver or service staff on the bus, he said.

The difficulty, Hải said, is that most passengers are afraid and embarrassed to report their experience.

“If passengers report it as soon as they are being harassed, they will receive help from the driver, bus staff and other passengers on the bus,” he said. — VnExpress News