When it comes to public transport, my woes are never-ending. Long queues, cramped carriages, delays in the journey that turn a 15-minute ride into a half-an-hour one … the list could go on. But if there’s one thing that I’m especially peeved about, it’s the perverts that lurk in the crowded confines of our trains and buses.
And you should be too. The statistics are alarming: The number of outrage-of-modesty cases on public transport have jumped from 114 in 2011 to 155 in 2012, according to the Singapore Police Force. And then there’s the 76 cases reported in the first half of 2013 and the many unreported accounts I’ve heard from girlfriends.
That said, there’s no need to be afraid or suffer in silence. We get three women who chose fight over flight to spill the beans on how they dealt with the perverts who tried to get the best of them.
I GOT PHYSICAL
“I was in the train on the way to work one morning when I felt someone’s hand brushing against my butt. The first time it happened, I assumed it was accidental because the train was jerking quite a bit. Plus, it was peak period, so the carriage was packed.
However, after the person’s hand lingered on my bottom for a good 10 seconds, I got suspicious and decided to check out who it was through the reflection in the train doors. I saw this bespectacled chubby man dressed in smart office attire in his 30s, smirking at my back.
I didn’t want to create a scene because he could easily deny it or blame it on the lack of space, so I got physical. I prepped myself for the next train jerk and jabbed him hard with my elbows when it did. Thankfully, it was enough to startle him. He was more shocked than embarrassed by my move, and moved a step back.
I don’t think anyone noticed what was going on, but at least he didn’t try anything else after that.”
– Mandy*, 22, student
I TOLD HIM OFF
“A few months ago, I was in the train with my boyfriend on the way home. A man in his 30s was seated directly opposite me. When I looked up, I saw him holding his phone straight up in front of his face. Because it was getting dark outside, I could see what was on his screen through the reflection in the windows and guess what I saw? My crotch. I was in shorts with my legs slightly parted.
I kept my eyes on him, without alerting my boyfriend, and saw him turn his phone towards another woman three seats away from me, who was wearing a miniskirt that revealed almost three quarters of her thigh. By this time, I could clearly see what was on his screen because his phone was a lot closer to the window. He continued to film her for a good minute or so before he realised that I was watching him, which prompted him to put his phone away and head for the doors.
Outraged, I followed him out. I confronted him about what I had seen and insisted that he hand his phone over. He vehemently denied it and even called me crazy. To make matters worse, my boyfriend, who didn’t know what had happened, kept trying to calm me down instead of helping me get hold of the man’s phone.
The man opened a few random folders and showed it to my boyfriend, saying: ‘See, I told her there’s no video; your girlfriend is crazy.’ I threatened to call the police and he walked away, which was pretty much the end of things.
Until now, I’m still mad when I think about how he ‘escaped’, but I’m glad that I called him out at the very least. People like him need to know they won’t get away with doing such things.”
– Anna*, 26, marketing officer
I SHAMED HIM ON SOCIAL MEDIA … AND WENT TO THE POLICE
“Last June, I was on a bus when a middle-aged man boarded and took the seat beside mine. Shortly after, he whipped out his phone and started snapping pictures in my direction. He didn’t even bother to put his phone on silent mode, so I could hear the shutter go off.
Annoyed, I did what any social media savvy girl would do – a panic tweet accompanied with his picture. He must have noticed me taking his picture, because he fiddled with his phone (I suspect he was deleting the photos of me) and got off at the next stop.
Refusing to let the matter go, I followed him off the bus and demanded to check his phone. To prove his ‘innocence’, he showed me his photo album and, true enough, there wasn’t a single picture of me. However, it was filled with shots of other unsuspecting women in buses and at bus stops.
Outraged, I asked him why he had such pictures in his phone. His lame reply? Th at it was a ‘hobby’. He also admitted to snapping pictures of me, but deleted them because ‘they were blur’. I told him that it was unacceptable to do such things, after which he raised his fist and threatened to punch me.
Thankfully, there were a few people present at the time. I finally decided there was no point in talking to him and left him at the bus stop with a final yell about what a sick and disgusting person he was. There were a few bewildered passers-by staring at us by then. Later on, I shared the incident on Facebook and Twitter as a ‘public service announcement’ to warn my friends to watch out for strangers taking their photos.
I also went to the police station the next day to make a report, although there was nothing much the police could do because it’s not illegal to take a picture of someone else. Plus, I didn’t have any of his identification details. That said, I’m still glad I chose to do something about it. Just because what the perv did wasn’t illegal doesn’t mean that it was okay for him to do it.” – Jane*, 26, freelance copywriter
*Names have been changed.
CATCH A PERV IN THE ACT? GET HELP!
Follow these steps if you experience or witness sexual harassment, such as molestation or obscene behaviour, on the train.
STEP 1:
Press the emergency communication button located at the side of the train door to speak to the train officer.
STEP 2:
Tell him that you were harassed and state your carriage number. The four-digit carriage number can be found above the two-seater section.
STEP 3:
The train officer will not open the train doors until the station staff arrives at your carriage. You can then identify the culprit and the both of you will have to alight to assist in police investigations.
If you’re on the bus:
Tell the bus captain, who is trained to handle such situations. He will call the bus operations control centre, which will in turn contact the police. The bus captain will lock the doors to prevent the culprit from leaving until traffic inspectors arrive. Do note that while the bus captain may choose to drive you straight to the nearest police station, he is not obliged to so.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
If you catch someone taking a picture or video of you, tell him that you caught him in the act and would like to check his phone. If he refuses, call the police because they have the right to check his phone. Alert the bus captain or train officer to get help in locking the doors, and ask passengers around you to help restrain him, just in case he tries to escape. You have the right to restrain a person for the purposes of handing him over to
the police.
You should also look for one or two witnesses. Get their names and contact numbers, so you can pass the information on to the police when you make your statement. Do note that the police can only press charges if the picture is obscene or shows evidence of outrage of modesty, like an upskirt picture or a close-up of
your cleavage.
EXPERT SOURCES: Singapore Police Force website; SMRT Corporation; SBS Transit; Bryan Tan, Technology, Media and Telecoms partner at Pinsent Masons LLP; and Alfred Dodwell, lawyer at Dodwell & Co.
This story was first published in Her World magazine January 2014 issue.
