Greater Anglia, has taken steps to tackle sexual harassment on the railway and ensure that every passenger feels safe when travelling on their trains.
During a recent event at the UK’s busiest railway station, London Liverpool Street, Greater Anglia showcased a revolutionary virtual reality (VR) film that puts viewers into three scenarios of sexual harassment on the railway as both a victim and a bystander, challenging them to consider how they would respond.
The VR video has been developed by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) and has been designed to improve people’s understanding of what constitutes sexual harassment; including persistent staring and repeated questioning, and to encourage behaviour change. In addition, the VR video has been created to help empower people to intervene safely and report perpetrators.
Georgia Payne, Greater Anglia’s safeguarding & community safety manager, said: “All of our passengers have a right to feel safe when travelling on the Greater Anglia network and it is therefore really important that we educate people on what constitutes sexual harassment and what you should do if you see it or experience it.
“We know that ¾ of UK adults agree that they would feel relieved if someone intervened in any way during a sexual harassment incident on public transport and it is therefore really important to empower people with the knowledge of how to deal with any situation through safely intervening.”
The event was hosted at London Liverpool Street station by the Greater Anglia and RDG safety teams who also engaged with passengers and shared how they are keeping the railway safe and secure. Officers from the British Transport Police also attended to share information on how to report crimes or incidents when travelling on the rail network.
Image credit: Greater Anglia
