The Shanghai Public Transportation Companies Association is planning to help prevent sexual harassment by issuing warnings to be beamed on the television monitors in buses.

An online survey published on www.zhaopin.com in November 2006 showed that more than 71 percent of Shanghai women had experienced sexual harassment.

The survey also showed that such harassment increased dramatically during the summer.

Xiao Wen, who is in her early 30s, said, "I was harassed at least three times on buses or the subway last year, and people in charge of the public transportation system should do something to stop this."

Jiang Peishun, the secretary-general of Shanghai Public Transportation said, "Since, there is no conductor on most of the buses in Shanghai, the bus driver cannot effectively prevent such harassment.

"We have, therefore, decided to make public announcements to be beamed over the television monitors to warn the harassers and also to remind women passengers to better protect themselves."

For example, when a woman complains to the driver about harassment, the driver will start an automated voice system that will broadcast the announcement on the monitors.

Jiang added that the association was in talks with the municipal public transportation administration, companies offering such a service and sociologists to come up with such an announcement and launch it later on buses.

A manager surnamed Tang with the Shanghai Bewell Co. Ltd, which offers the automatic voice system for buses, hailed the idea of launching such a service.

He said, "Recently, the local public security bureau found more thefts taking place on the bus lines in the Songjiang District than in the same period last year. They asked us for help and found that the issuance of warnings via the voice system was very useful."

He Feng, a women's studies expert working at the Shanghai Women's Federation, welcomes the idea but added, "The announcement should be worded such that it will scare the harasser but not put everyone on the defensive."

Cheung Ming, a Singaporean working in a Shanghai-based advertising company, agreed with He, saying "We decent men do not want to feel embarrassed or be treated like an accomplice just because we are men."

Xiao Xia, who is a Japanese of Chinese ancestry, suggested using images rather than just voice for such announcements to avoid possible embarrassment, as done by the Tokyo subway system.

(China Daily July 3, 2007)