“The changes that Metro is making to address public sexual harassment and assault is a testament to the hundreds of stories we received on our site. We see this partnership as a step in the right direction and a model for other transit agencies around the world to follow.”
— Chai Shenoy, co-founder, Collective Action for Safe Spaces
In February 2012, Collective Action for Safe Spaces began an official campaign for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to implement policy to address sexual harassment and assault on the DC metro. By April 2012, WMATA responded by introducing its first-ever public awareness campaign to combat sexual harassment of customers while using the system. Below, here is a reverse timeline of our ongoing relationship.
New Awareness Campaign Addresses Spike in Reports of Harassment Across DC
November 10, 2016
After a spike in reports of harassment across our city — especially targeting people of color, LGBTQ and gender nonconforming people, and people who are part of multiple marginalized groups, the new awareness campaign has three goals: Support people who experience harassment with messages letting riders know they deserve to be treated with respect. Promote a culture of bystander intervention, where everyone is responsible for speaking out against harassment and making public transit safer. Elevate our city’s most marginalized identities by featuring the faces of people who are part of marginalized groups, such as trans women of color and Muslim women, who face harassment most severely and most frequently.
Second Round of Anti-sexual Harassment PSA
February 24, 2015
Following months of collaboration with CASS and Stop Street Harassment, WMATA releases its second round of anti-sexual harassment PSAs since the Anti-Sexual Harassment Campaign was established in 2012. The PSAs differ from the first round in that they use gender neutral language and in part address perpetrators of sexual harassment, rather than just those who are harassed.