The prevalence and nature of sexual harassment and assault against women and girls on public transport: an international review
| Published date | 13 March 2017 |
| Date | 13 March 2017 |
| Pages | 3-16 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-08-2016-0016 |
| Author | Anna Gekoski,Jacqueline M. Gray,Joanna R. Adler,Miranda A.H. Horvath |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology |
The prevalence and nature of
sexual harassment and assault against
women and girls on public transport:
an international review
Anna Gekoski, Jacqueline M. Gray, Joanna R. Adler and Miranda A.H. Horvath
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to report on the findings from a study commissioned by the British
Transport Police and the Department for Transport for England and Wales concerning sexual offences and
harassment on public transport worldwide. Specifically, it aims to explore the prevalence of such behaviours,
through a review of existing survey and interview data regarding women and girls’experiences.
Design/methodology/approach –A rapid evidence assessment (REA) was used, the function of which is
to: search the literature as comprehensively as possible within given time constraints; collate descriptive
outlines of the available evidence on a topic and critically appraise it; sift out studies of poor quality; and
provide an overview of the evidence.
Findings –It was found that prevalence rates range from 15 to 95 per cent, with the UK having the lowest
rates. Emerging economies had higher rates of harassment and assault, which may relate to differing cultural
and gender norms, where public space is regarded as a male domain.
Research limitations/implications –A REA is not a full systematic review, differing in the scope and depth
of the searches and depending almost exclusively on electronic databases, not accompanied by searching
journals by hand.
Practical implications –More research of high methodological rigour needs to be carried out on prevalence
rates of sexual harassment and offending on public transport worldwide. The high prevalence rates found
suggest the need for more work around the area of interventions to curtail offending in this setting. The
findings suggest that emerging economies, in particular, need to do more to address the problem of sexual
harassment and assault on public transport. More fundamentally, cultural norms around women’s roles in
society need to be addressed and challenged.
Originality/value –Women may become “transit captive”and socially excluded if they are afraid to travel on
public transport and do not have access to private transport. This would be an unacceptable situation which
must be addressed by transport authorities and police.
Keywords Public transport, Sexual harassment, Rape, Mass transit, Sexual offending,
Unwanted sexual behaviour
Paper type Literature review
Introduction
Worldwide, every day, women are subjected to unwanted sexual behaviours on public transport[1].
These may range from sexual harassment –broadly defined as any unwanted sexual attention
including lewd comments, leering, sexual invitations, threats, displaying pornographic material,
being followed or pictured, and public masturbation (e.g. Project Guardian, 2013; Shoukry et al.,
2008) –to sexual assault, when someone is threatened, coerced, or forced into non-consensual
sexual acts (Lawlink, 1999)[2]. Yet, as argued by Rivera (2007), research on transport from
the 1950s until the 1980s “was outrightgender blind […] neither recognizing nor responding to the
needs or priorities of women”(p. 4) –with interest slowly emerging from the early-1980s.
Received 1 August 2016
Revised 27 October 2016
Accepted 28 October 2016
Dr Anna Gekoski is a Research
Associate, Jacqueline M. Gray
is an Associate Professor in
Forensic Psychology,
Joanna R. Adler is a Professor
of Forensic Psychology and
Miranda A.H. Horvath is an
Associate Professor in Forensic
Psychology, all at the
Department of Psychology,
Middlesex University,
London, UK.
DOI 10.1108/JCRPP-08-2016-0016 VOL. 3 NO. 1 2017, pp.3-16, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2056-3841
j
JOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH, POLICY AND PRACTICE
j
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