HCM City orange buses raise awareness about sexual harassment

HCM City Traffic Management Centre has introduced 26 orange buses which intend to raise public awareness about the sexual harassment of women and children.

HCM City Traffic Management Centre has introduced 26 orange buses which intend to raise public awareness about the sexual harassment of women and children on November 28.

   

Orange bus stop in HCM City

The campaign is part of the Action Month for Gender Equality and Gender-Based Violence Prevention and the United Nations' 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence.

According to the survey for last year Safe City for Women and Children Programme, 18.5% of surveyed Vietnamese women said they had been sexually harassed and 11.7% of the male admitted to having harassed women and children in public places in the previous year.

87% of the women in Hanoi and HCM City who participated in another survey conducted by Action Aid Vietnam in 2014 said that they had been harassed at public places. Preventing gender-based violence and gender discrimination is receiving more attention.

  

HCM City launches orange buses

According to Ha Le An, deputy director of HCM City Traffic Management Centre, 26 orange buses have been put into operation from November 28. The buses will run from on Le Hong Phong Street-Vietnam National University, HCM City route. Messages and programmes about gender equality and sexual harassment installed and printed on the buses.

The bus stops in District 1 has been also painted orange with slogans demanding better awareness of the issue.

"We want to create a friendly, safe and civilised image for the city buses. We hope they will help encourage more people to use public transport and ease congestion and traffic accidents," he said.