HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Third-year university student Duong Huyen in Hanoi has never beeninappropriately touched by a stranger, but she has seen it happen.

“It was on a bus at about 10am,” she said. “The bus was full, and I saw thisforty-something man who kept brushing himself against a young woman of 20-25.”

The woman did not react and got off the bus at the next station, Huyen said.“The man then moved on to another young woman that was standing nearby and didit again. This time the woman yelled, and the man got thrown off the bus.”

Sexual harassment, robbery and poor customer services are the major issues withthe public bus system that were discussed at a recent conference on the effects ofpublic sexual harassment, domestic violence and school violence on women andgirls in HCM City, the Tien Phong (Vanguard)newspaper reported.

The teenage daughter of Phuong Thi Bich Phung, head of a crime prevention clubin District 4, recently decided to take xe om (motorbike taxis) withfemale drivers to school instead of buses because she was afraid of gettinggroped like some of her friends.

“Lots of stories of teenage girls being sexually harassed on buses have beenbrought to my attention,” Phung said. “Public buses are definitely not safe forgirls.”

Nguyen Ngoc Long, head of a women’s association in District 3, said thatdespite the low cost of travelling by bus, few women use them because of therisk of harassment. “There aren’t enough lights at the bus stations, whichincreases the risks of robbery and sexual harassment,” she said.

Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam, Chairwoman of the HCM City People’s Council, said that busdrivers and driver assistants should be more customer-oriented. Once when shewas sitting on a bus, she called out to the driver and asked him to stop at astation so that she could get off, Tam said.

“The driver’s assistant immediately barked at me: ‘You’re talking too much!Leave your seat and stand near the door,’” she said. “Such a good way to losecustomers.”

To improve the bus system’s service quality, the city recently replaced 500 outof 3,000 old buses with new ones and installed 4,000 security cameras on the3,000 buses, said Ha Le An, Deputy Director of the HCM City Urban TransportManagement and Operation Centre.

“We monitor the security cameras with internet connections,” he added. “Womenwho get threatened by thieves or sexually harassed can reach us via the hotlinenumber 1022 and request an intervention from the police.”

Tran Vinh Tuyen, Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee, said thatthe city also requested its youth union to deploy youths to assist seniorcitizens and stop women and girls from being harassed on buses.

Although domestic violence leaves serious physical and psychological damage onwomen, many won’t admit to having experienced it, said Nguyen Thi Thanh Luan, Chairwoman of the women’s association of Thu Duc district.

“Doctors can easily recognise and identify the causes of this physical damage,but these women don’t admit it, probably because they fear embarrassment,” shesaid. “Hospitals and clinics should provide support for women and girls thathave been abused.”

Doctor Le Thi My Chau from the city’s Department of Health said that doctorsshould be trained to probe into psychological issues that patients don’t share.

Shelters should be established in the city for victims sexual harassment andphysical abuse, she added. Police should be present at these shelters toprotect the victims.

School violence is another pressing issue that is often overlooked, said NguyenNgoc Toan of Go Vap district, a mother of a high school student. The bullied donot only get beaten but also isolated, threatened, stripped, filmed andridiculed on the internet, which leads to panic, fear, and sometimes suicidalthoughts, she said.

“There’s no way to control the bullies since the Criminal Law does not apply tominors, and the Law on Children does not set fines for bullying,” she added.

Lots of students commit suicide due to being bullied, said Nguyen Thi Dao, headof a woman’s association in Binh Thanh district.

“There are consultants at school, but they are teachers who take consultancy asa side job, not psychiatrists with a proper psychological background,” shesaid.-VNA