Survey Indicates 97 Percent of Women Were Harassed in Public and Private Transport

By Xiu Ying, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Almost all (97 percent) of Brazilian women over age eighteen who were surveyed, said they had experienced incidents of sexual harassment on public transport, in Apps transport or in taxis, according to research conducted by the Instituto Patrícia Galvão and Instituto Locomotiva, supported by Uber.

“It’s a compelling number. This is everyday life for women, the very expression of what is happening,” said Jacira Melo, executive director of the Patrícia Galvão Institute.

In February of this year, the institutes interviewed 1,081 women who used public or private transport in the three months before the date of the study. The respondents were heard in all regions of Brazil:

• Southeast: 38 percent (416 interviews),
• Northeast: 22 percent (236),
• Center-West/North: 20 percent (219)
• South: 20 percent (210).

The researchers showed respondents a list of the chief harassment complaints. Almost all women reported that they had already experienced at least one of the situations, such as persistent staring (41 percent on public transport, 10 percent on app transport, 11 percent on taxis), 33 percent unwanted pick-up lines on buses, and 9 percent on apps and taxis.

“The man stares at her, she is intimidated and moves to another seat, but doesn’t realize that she was a victim of harassment. We clarified some scenarios to be able to observe how women are harassed in transport,” said Mara Saru, research director of the Instituto Locomotiva.

The majority of women (71 percent) also said they knew a woman who had suffered harassment in public areas, according to the survey.

For 72 percent of women, the time taken to arrive at work affects the decision to accept or stay in a job, according to the survey.

Based on data from IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), out of 92 million Brazilian adults, 40 million work, 8 million study, 33 million visited bars in the past month and 82 million shopped in supermarkets.

Despite so many journeys, 46 percent of women do not feel confident about using means of transport where there may be harassment.

“Sexual harassment in transport is known and familiar to all, but it is still poorly addressed as if it were something of minor importance. Women face thigh rubbing, ejaculation on clothes and legs, are exposed to severe violence, which impairs their right to come and go,” Jacira says.

Jacira says the risk of a woman driving in a car alone with a man is high. The only rape cases reported by respondents occurred in App cars.

“You have the plate number, in many cases, the name of the driver. But let’s face it. The risk that the woman is taking inside the car in which the driver is in complete control and taking a route that she does not know exposes her to very high risk. I take it for granted that no type of violence is acceptable in an app-based transport,” she says.

“Companies need to be thorough in selecting drivers, offering courses, etc. to establish a mechanism for women to be safer and to report abuses. They can prevent harassment and rape much more effectively than on public transport,” she adds.