Transportation to Start Tracking Sexual Harassment of Travelers Under New Bill – By Brandi Vincent (Next Gov) / Nov 20 2019
The bill calls for certain airlines and railroads to track harassment and assault of their workers and passengers and report incidents to the Transportation Department.
The chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure unveiled new legislation this week to track sexual assault and harassment incidents that occur across multiple modes of American transportation.
The Stop Sexual Assault and Harassment in Transportation Act introduced by Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., mandates specific transportation carriers—including certain passenger airlines and railroads, transit agencies, cruise ships, bus companies and ridesharing companies—to implement new, formal policies, training for personnel and reporting mechanisms for victims and also directs the Transportation Department to collect and share data on reports of such cases.
“Unfortunately, sexual assault and harassment occurs all too often to the employees of transportation providers and individuals who are traveling, and more must be done to protect them,” DeFazio said.
Such incidents on various passenger transportation modes has garnered greater attention following the #MeToo movement, and numerous accounts and lawsuits have been bubbling up across the nation. According to a survey from 2018, of more than 3,500 flight attendants working across 29 U.S. airlines, 68% said they experienced sexual harassment during their flying careers and 18% experienced physical sexual harassment. Of those who underwent such incidents, only 7% reported it to their employers.
Continue to article: https://www.nextgov.com/analytics-data/2019/11/transportation-start-tracking-sexual-harassment-travelers-under-new-bill/161426/
