MTA Officially Unveils Anti-Sexual Harassment Ad Campaign
In August I wrote a couple of entries on the MTA’s proposed anti-groping/sexual harassment ad campaign/public service announcements. I first took them to task when they decided against going through with the ad campaign. I later thanked them for having a change of heart & going through with their initial plans. Well I can now say they have officially unveiled the new ad campaign. Lets first take a look at their press release in regards to this topic:
MTA New York City Transit’s latest public service campaign has been designed to combat sexual harassment in the subway. This educational message features subway car cards and brochures aimed at encouraging victims to report incidents of sexual harassment and informing them of the best ways to stay safe. The message is clear: “This type of behavior does not have to be tolerated by customers and is viewed by the NYPD and NYC Transit as a very serious crime.”
The SubTalk car cards, which began appearing in the subway during the week of September 15 read: “Sexual Harassment is a Crime in the subway, too – A crowded train is no excuse for an improper touch. Don’t stand for it or feel ashamed, or be afraid to speak up. Report it to an MTA employee or police officer.”
“After much thought and discussion on the subject, we have come up with a message that we feel sets the right tone and provides customers with the information they need to respond to this type of criminal behavior,” said MTA NYC Transit President Howard H. Roberts, Jr.
“NYPD officers assigned to the subways have helped drive crime down to record lows in recent years with the help of the riding public,” said NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. “The Police Department is determined to continue crime suppression, including sexual-related crime and misconduct, with the public’s continued cooperation and with the aid of NYC Transit’s important informational campaign.”
200,000 bilingual English /Spanish brochures, containing more specific crime prevention tips will be available beginning Monday, October 6th at subway stations citywide. These brochures also give the number of the NYPD Sex Crimes Report Hotline, 212-267-RAPE (7273), to report past attacks or incidents. “If we help one person,” added Roberts, “we will have done our job.”
Click here for the 11×70 Bilingual Sign.
Click here for the bilingual brochure.
Now lets take a look at the brief article from the Associated Press on the topic:
NYC Transit has started a public service campaign to fight sexual harassment on the subway.
The agency is placing ads in subway cars encouraging victims to report the harassment. The ads also offer safety tips.
Last year, 63% of straphangers surveyed in an unscientific report said they had been sexually harassed. Of them, 96% said they didn’t report the incidents. Most victims were women.
The report defined harassment as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, flashing, groping, fondling and public masturbation.
Last month, a subway rider took a cell phone picture of a man she said had used a phone to take a picture under her skirt. She e-mailed the photo to police, and the man was arrested.
I’ll echo the statement I made in August when they had a change of heart:
I am glad the agency had a change of heart although I question what took them so long. The main reason given for not going through with the campaign was the fear of copycats or encouraging perverts to take their chances. They now want to “assess their impact” which is pretty much saying they still have fears of copycats. The right attitude is to just say the safety of our passengers is & will always me more important than the chance of idiotic perverts being encourage by ads calling them out.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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Actually, it IS an excuse when it is ACCIDENTAL; sometimes, a crowded subway FORCES men and women to touch and press against each other in uncomfortable ways. Accidents are always excusable. They need to clarify that “improper” must mean “INTENTIONAL”.