Daily BrewPublic transit predators all too often go unreported: transit police
Transit police in Metro Vancouver have a suspect but no victim yet in an alleged sexual assault incident gaining attention through social media.
The agency has made a public appeal for the young woman who was assaulted last week to come forward but so far she hasn’t, said spokeswoman Anne Drennan.
It’s all too common, she said. Only about 10 per cent of all sexual assaults are reported.
“It can be that the woman believes that nothing can be done, that the police won’t believe her, that they won’t take it seriously and so they don’t bother reporting it,” Drennan told Yahoo Canada News.
But Metro Vancouver transit police last year launched a campaign specifically targeting sexual harassment and sexual assault on public transit.
And they want riders to know that any unwelcome touching is assault.
“We want the predators off the system,” Drennan said.
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Another female commuter on the SkyTrain on Thursday morning noticed a man groping a young woman and followed him off the train. She reported him to officers in the station who immediately asked for identification.
But without a victim, he has not been charged.
The witness posted her own appeal on the UBC Confessions Facebook page that has garnered almost 7,000 likes and been shared more than 2,000 times.
“Please don’t ignore this issue, we should not condone his actions,” she wrote. “I know you were scared to speak up, I hope you’re okay.”
Dozens of strangers packed rush-hour tight in a small space could be considered a recipe for discord.
#SubwayShaming is a popular hashtag on Twitter and a video last year of a man dubbed the TTC Leprechaun has been viewed more than 240,000 times on YouTube.
But some incidents are too serious for just #SubwayShaming.
In online forums and on social media, female transit riders coast to coast vent about experiences that range from catcalls to sexual assault.
“I feel like I can’t go around in shorts or dresses because it attracts a lot of unwanted attention,” one TTC rider wrote in an online forum.
Alexa Dredge and Katie Nordgren launched the website Translink Harassment a little over a year ago.
“I’ve had someone follow me off the bus and try to kick in the door,” Dredge told Yahoo Canada News. “Then there’s people just getting too close to you, rubbing up against you, trying to get your attention… and won’t leave you alone.”
The website, which began as a project for a gender studies class at Simon Fraser University, has had more than 100,000 views. Since October 2013 they’ve posted 190 stories and received hundreds of comments.
Danny Nicholson, spokesman for the Toronto Transit Commission, said a campaign will be launched later this year on how to deal with inappropriate behaviour on transit, including sexual offences.
Last year, Metro Vancouver Transit Police launched a “See Something, Say Something” with text message code and a user app that allows transit riders to report harassment and abuse.
Reporting did increase, with 146 sexual offences brought to the attention of Transit police in 2014.
The campaign included officer training and, indeed, officers last week immediately took action.
Though the victim remains unknown, media reports did prompt another young woman to come forward about a similar incident the following day. Drennan said transit police are investigating.
Follow Dene on Twitter: @ByDeneMoore
