According to data from Transport for London (TfL), reported sexual offenses on buses, trains, and subways in the city have increased by more than 10% annually.
TfL records provided in response to a Freedom of Information request show that between February 2023 and January 2024, 2,671 sexual offenses on the network were registered to the police.
The rise in recorded offences has been accompanied by an increase in “bystander intervention” from passengers, TfL says. It credits this to its poster campaign encouraging witnesses of sexual harassment to step in and “defuse” incidents.
The period in question saw an increase in total passenger numbers as part of the post-pandemic bounceback, TfL said.
There were 2,418 offences between February 2023 and January 2024, with the figures representing a 10.5% rise in reports, year on year.
The transport authority said that the “increase in reporting was anticipated” after the launch of its poster campaigns and was “a positive sign that the campaign is working, given that sexual harassment is significantly under-reported”.
TfL added: “Tracking research has not indicated any significant increase in incidents on the network, therefore the increase in the number of reports is a positive sign that the campaign is helping to raise awareness of what constitutes sexual harassment and our zero-tolerance approach to any form of abuse on our network.”
The first wave of posters was launched in October 2021, with each one highlighting a different form of sexual harassment.
This includes upskirting, cat-calling, cyber-flashing, inappropriate touching, indecent exposure, rubbing against someone on purpose and intrusive staring of a sexual nature.
This was followed in January 2023 by a second phase to the campaign, encouraging bystanders to take action if they witness harassment against a fellow passenger – so long as it feels safe to do so.
TfL added that its advertising campaigns “are only one part of our expansive programme” to eliminate sexual harassment on public transport.
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