Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
SEPTEMBER 17, 2015
Subject/Action
SUBJECT: SAFE SPACE AND SEXUAL HARRASSMENT
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE status report on providing customer safe space environments while riding Metro buses and trains.
Issue
ISSUE
In response to Board Motion 55 by Directors Garcetti, Antonovich, and Kuehl, this report presents the results of Metro’s semi-annual Customer Satisfaction Survey conducted May-June, 2015 and progress making Metro a safe space without unwanted intrusion into passengers’ private physical and emotional space. (Attachment A) In the past two years, Metro has conducted three surveys that included a question about sexual harassment on the bus and rail system. Metro is one of only a handful of transit agencies worldwide that regularly asks passengers about experience of sexual harassment. Independent studies of large, international transit agencies indicate that New York City is considered to have one of the safest systems for women with a sexual harassment reporting rate of 63 percent.
Findings
During the latest Customer Satisfaction Survey May-June, 2015, the on-board questionnaire asked “In the past six months, while riding on Metro, have you personally experienced any of the following types of sexual harassment? Non-Physical (comments, gestures, etc.)? Physical (unwanted touching, groping, fondling, etc.)? Indecent Exposure (exposure of private parts)? The percent of respondents who experienced any of the three types of sexual harassment was 19 percent. This response rate indicated a three percent decline from the previous survey period. For the specific subsets of harassment , the percent of respondents who answered “Yes” were as follows: Non-Physical, 19 percent; Physical, 7 percent and Indecent Exposure, 8 percent.
The survey was conducted following the launch of Metro’s It’s Off Limits campaign to combat sexual harassment on the bus and rail system. The campaign, a partnership with the community advocacy organization Peace Over Violence, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) Transit Policing Division and Metro, defined sexual harassment as unwanted touching comments and gestures and included a call to action “If you experience it or see it - report it. Call 1.888.950.SAFE.” While there was not a significant increase in reports to the Transit Policing Division hotline, there was a notable drop in reported incidents of sexual harassment reported in the survey.
Analysis
The Customer Satisfaction Survey queried 19,793 bus and rail riders in the latest form giving it an error rate ±1%. It is the largest survey including a question about sexual harassment by any transit agency in the world. It is believed that by shining a light on the furtive activity of sexual harassment potential perpetrators eschewed harassment due to risk of possible identification and/or arrest thereby reducing the number of victims.
Actions Compliant with Item 55
Task Force - Reconvened in September to advance progress made and plan for a new outreach and media event.
Community Input
• Community Roundtable: Peace Over Violence has been signed to a one year contract to provide ongoing consultation and future developments will include the formulations of a community roundtable on issues of safe space and sexual harassment.
• Review APTA best practices: In a review of best practices it was learned the Metro is at the leading edge of efforts to stem sexual harassment. At this report, we have no peers approaching the issue in the same manner as LACMTA or with the same results.
External Policy
• The Metro Customer Code of Conduct has been updated to explicitly prohibit unwanted sexual attention and identity-based harassment.
• Metro has an on-going relationship with Peace Over Violence to provide non-law enforcement support options for victims.
Internal Policy
• In April, Metro circulated to all front-line personnel, including operators, maintenance and custodial employees, a simple yet effective method for summoning assistance in the event a Metro employee is the first point of contact for a rider who suffers sexual harassment or any other crime or complaint. The same instructions were circulated to all employees in July. Metro security is in the process of developing further materials that could include a training video.
• Metro has reviewed all station, bus stop and transit vehicle design guidelines and is in compliance with all appropriate laws.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
While reducing incidents of sexual harassment from 22 percent to 19 percent is a positive development, Metro is committed to redoubling efforts to make the system a safe space for all riders.
The Sexual Harassment Awareness Task Force reconvened in September representing the offices of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Supervisor Michael Antonovich, Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, Peace Over Violence, the LASD and Metro staff. The Metro Customer Code of Conduct has been updated to explicitly prohibit unwanted sexual attention and identify-based harassment.
Metro is committed to continuing efforts to improve safety on the bus and rail system by launching a second phase of the ground-breaking It’s Off Limits campaign on October 1, 2015 to be highlighted by a media event and press conference tentatively scheduled for early October. The second phase continues to use the message of It’s Off Limits and augments the call to action by urging the public to “Speak Up about unwanted touching, comments and gestures. If you experience it or see it - report it. Call 1.888.950.SAFE.” The campaign literature is being produced in English and Spanish (No Se Tolerara’). In addition, a web URL is under development to link a user to the information translated into eight other languages.
In July, Metro Human Resources Department circulated to all of the agency’s nearly 11,000 employees a simple yet effective set of instructions for them to follow in the event they are the first point of contact for a passenger who has been victimized by sexual harassment. All frontline employees, operators, maintenance and custodial personnel, were trained in the procedure in April. Additionally, protocol for responding to social media comments related to sexual harassment is in development based on advice from trauma and subject matter experts.
Metro is preparing another Customer Satisfaction Survey in October and November to continue gathering data on this subject of vital interest. The results of that survey will be analyzed and modifications to our outreach will be amended as warranted.
Attachments
ATTACHMENT
Attachment A - Motion 55
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Paul Gonzales, Senior Public Communications Officer, (213) 922-2702
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Pauletta Tonilas, Chief Communications Officer, (213) 922-3777
