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General Overview

Type of stakeholder

EICS Framework

Region of Reference

Africa
Asia
Australia
Europe
North-America
South-America
World

Description

This intervention refers to the establishment of gender desks at key transport hubs, and the training of the personnel who manage the desks. Gender desks are places where women can go to report sensitive issues relating to sexual harassment and assault, where staff, usually female, are specially trained to handle such reports. [2,3] Research has shown that victims of such offences are hesitant of approaching main police desks to report incidents, as they are often afraid, intimidated, or ashamed, or believe that there is no point in reporting. [1,2,8,10,11]

Implementing gender desks in the public transport space is an important step in increasing the number of incidents reported, as female victims will be more likely to do so if they feel safe and comfortable, and know that their reports will be seriously considered. [1-3]

Facts/Illustrations/Case studies

An image showing the advertisement of a police gender desk in Mbeya, Tanzania. [11]
A study completed on the metro in Baku, Azerbaijan, found that none of the victims of sexual harassment reported the incident to the police. [10]
Safe Kiosks were opened at two bus stations in Sao Paulo on International Women’s Day 2021 where women could report harassment after disembarking a bus. They were afforded space and privacy to provide safe environments. The kiosks were mainly used to report abuse they experienced at home and work, but can easily be replicated in other countries.

Types of Impact

To/from the stop/station/rank✕
Waiting for train/bus/paratransit✓
In the vehicle✕
At interchanges✓

This intervention would impact areas where formal infrastructure is present, and therefore would not impact areas on the way to the stop/station or on the vehicle. Gender desks could be present at stations/stops, or at transport interchanges.

Day-time travel✓
Night-time travel✓
Peak-time travel✓
Off peak-time travel✓

All travel time categories could be positively impacted by this intervention, depending on the scale of implementation and availability of staff.

Bus✓
Train✓
Rideshare✓
4 wheelers informal✓
3 wheelers informal✓
2 wheelers informal✓
Cycling✕
Walking✕

Modes with formal infrastructure and stations/stops will be impacted. Locations with high volumes of informal pick-ups and drop-offs would also be impacted.

Girls✓
Boys✓
Adult Women✓
Men✓
Elderly Women✓
LGBTQI+✓

All public transport users could be positively impacted by this intervention, as any user can report an incident at a gender desk. However, literature shows that women experience sexual harassment more than men, so more women are likely to need to report incidents than men.2,3 Implementing gender desks could aid in increasing the number of incidents reported, as female victims will be more likely to do so if they feel safe, comfortable, and know that their reports will be seriously considered. [1-3]

Resources

Monetary Resource Requirements
The capital cost of training female staff, providing them with the necessary tools to record reported incidents, and setting up the gender desk is moderately expensive. Operational costs are higher, as wages need to be paid to the trained staff for doing their jobs and significant numbers of staff may be needed across the transport network. Cost is dependent on scale of implementation: the more training and staff is implemented, the higher the costs.
Capital Cost Requirements Operational Cost Requirements
Non-Monetary Resource Requirements
This intervention requires skilled personnel to conduct the training of the staff and appropriately resource the gender desk, which takes a significant amount of time. However, little political will is required to implement this intervention.
Skills Time Political Will

SWOT Analysis

Ensures staff are trained to record reported incidents well in order to help passengers
Establishes a system to report incidents
Scalable to suit budget and need

As soon as implementation stops, the benefits stop
Not effective in parts of the transport system where the intervention is not physically present

To encourage female passengers to come forward and report incidents
To apprehend more offenders through reports of incidents
Job opportunities for women to man these desks

Female passengers might still feel ashamed of reporting incidents due to the stigma around sexual harassment, even if the staff are available.

Effectiveness

Literature shows that the very high number of unreported incidents is due to a negative perception of reporting by females. Females who have been victims of sexual harassment often don’t report incidents as they believe that reporting is useless or too complicated, or because they are fearful or feel like they won’t be taken seriously. [1,-3,5,8,10] Females also prefer reporting incidents to female staff as opposed to male staff, as “they feel compromised talking about such things with unknown men” (Allen & Vanderschuren, 2016) [1,5]. Therefore, the presence of gender desks – places specifically designed for reporting sexual harassment – is much more desirable for female victims of such offences. As there is a significant amount of literature to support this, confidence in these ratings is good.

Perception by (female) passengers
Perception by governing bodies
Level of confidence in these ratings

Implementation

Implementation of this intervention takes some time initially, as staff has to be trained and the gender desk has to be set up. The benefits ensue after the training is finished and the trained staff begins working at the desk. Benefits will continue to increase as passengers become more aware of the gender desk. Unfortunately, if the intervention ends, so do the benefits.

Implementation timeframe

0-1 year✓
1-3 years✓
>3 years✕

Timeframe to realise benefits

0-1 year✕
1-3 years✓
>3 years✓

Scale of Implementation

This intervention can be implemented at a station/suburb or city level.

National

Regional

City

Station or
Suburb

Ease of Implementation

This intervention takes a moderate amount of effort to implement, as it requires skilled personnel, and it takes time.

List of References

Africa

1. Allen, H. & Vanderschuren, M. 2016. Safe and Sound International Research on Women’s Personal Safety on Public Transport. FIA Foundation Research Series. 6:1–55. [2022, January 19].

2. Wamukonya, N. 2002. A critical look at gender and energy mainstreaming in Africa. [2022, January 21].

3. Thomson, D.R., Bah, A.B., Rubanzana, W.G. & Mutesa, L. 2015. Correlates of intimate partner violence against women during a time of rapid social transition in Rwanda: Analysis of the 2005 and 2010 demographic and health surveys. BMC Women’s Health. 15(1):1–13. DOI: 10.1186/s12905-015-0257-3.

4. Together for Girls. 2018. Visit the Mbeya Police Gender Desk. [2022, January 20].

Asia

5. Bhatt, A., Menon, R. & Khan, A. 2015. WOMEN’S SAFETY IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT A Pilot Initiative in Bhopal. The WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities Disclaimer. [2022, January 19].

6. Jafarova, T., Campbell, S. & Rojas, W.S. 2014. AZE: Rapid Assessment on Sexual Harassment in the Baku Metro Rail Technical Assistance Consultant ’s Final Report.

Europe

7. Gekoski, A., Gray, J., Horvath, M.A.H., Edwards, S., Emirali, A. & Adler, J.R. 2015. What works’ in reducing sexual harassment and sexual offences on public transport nationally and internationally: a rapid evidence assessment.

8. Gekoski, A., Gray, J.M., Adler, J.R. & Horvath, M.A.H. 2017. The prevalence and nature of sexual harassment and assault against women and girls on public transport: an international review. V. 3. DOI: 10.1108/JCRPP-08-2016-0016.

North America

9. Kearl, H. 2018. A National Study on Sexual Harassment and Assault. Virginia, United States.

South America

10. Quinones, L.M. 2020. Sexual harassment in public transport in Bogotá. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice. 139:54–69. DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2020.06.018

11. World Bank, 2022 “Integrating Gender Considerations into public transport policies and operations promising practices”

World

12.UNWOMEN. 2020. Safe cities and safe public spaces for women and girls global flagship initiative: International compendium of practices. 39. [2022, January 12].

SHE CAN Tool