Train companies finally tackle sexual assault targeting women with disabilities

If you have traveled by train in Japan, you may have heard in-car or -station announcements relating to assisting passengers, such as “okyakusama goannnaichu desu.” Station staff use the announcements to communicate when helping passengers with visual impairments or those who use wheelchairs. They do this to let other station staff know when the passengers have got on and off the train safely.

Not all train companies practice the announcement, but it is common enough that people generally know what these announcements relate to. You can hear them in all the carriages and on the platforms. They may even announce which car the passenger got on and what station they are going to get off.

Sexual predators exploit public transit support systems

However, they have led to many sexual assault cases, especially targeting female passengers who need assistance. A survey reveals predators rush to these women, as they hear the announcement, to harass them sexually, physically, and mentally in public. There has been a case that developed into stalking where a woman was cornered into a dangerous situation. Sexual assault targeting women with disabilities traveling by trains had been a long-going issue. Still, it was not widely known until recently an NPO, Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI), came forward and spread awareness about the issue, shocking many people in the process. DPI collected more than ten cases and shared these women’s experiences on their website.

A victim who uses a wheelchair reports:

“It was late at night, and almost all the passengers around me were men. I asked station staff not to make an announcement, but I was told they would have to. He even announced the car number I got on. I was near a door, and a man in a suit came on board and said, ‘There you are!’ He got very close behind me and asked me the color of my underwear while doing obscene things repeatedly. I was too scared to say anything. When I got off the train, I was in tears and complained to the station staff that it was because of the announcement. He only replied, ‘Please go to the police.’ He didn’t even ask me if I was OK.

Since then, I have been receiving psychosomatic counseling due to the trauma of the situation. I’m too scared to ride the train as long as the announcement practice continues. This incident and the train companies’ policy has made social interaction impossible for me.”

A victim with visual impairment reports:

“I was on a train, standing facing a door. I heard someone approach me and he said, ‘There you are! I’ll help you.’ I felt some hands on my back and heard his heavy breathing. I tried to move away, but I couldn’t because he stood against me so closely. When the door opened at the next station, I got off the train. It wasn’t the station I wanted. I had a very difficult time navigating because it was a place I wasn’t used to, but I had no choice but to stay there and take the next train.”

Finally, the government heard the voice of defenseless women

DPI also submitted the request to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to improve the situation. The MLITT then urged all train companies to reexamine the announcement practice and consider alternatives.

Last month, JR East stated that they would no longer make these announcements. The company is reevaluating its former policy of publicly announcing information that could harm people with disabilities. The policy change at a large train company like JR East is expected to prompt a significant shift in the industry’s practices.

Needless to say, crime prevention should be prioritized, and the predators must face appropriate consequences. At the same time, having conversations about how society should protect the dignity of people with disabilities is as important as how it should accommodate them physically. The voice of these women reminds us that even things done with a good intention, like the announcement practice, can have negative consequences. When we sense problems, most of us are hopefully brave enough to step up and continue making the changes necessary until we get it right.