Harassment in Taxis in Central Asia:
Impunity and No Right to Defense
Impunity and No Right to Defense
These are the results of online survey conducted as part of the Central Asia Taxi Safety Information Campaign.
Often, during a taxi ride, the women face obscene jokes, comments, offers to get to know each other closer, as well as unwanted physical contact from the drivers.
Read this CABAR.asia publication for more information about harassment in taxis in Central Asia and recommendations on what to do if you are subjected to harassment in a taxi.
Often, during a taxi ride, the women face obscene jokes, comments, offers to get to know each other closer, as well as unwanted physical contact from the drivers.
Read this CABAR.asia publication for more information about harassment in taxis in Central Asia and recommendations on what to do if you are subjected to harassment in a taxi.
Harassment is a violation of personal boundaries and subordination, offensive conduct, humiliation and violation of privacy. It can be both physical (unwanted touching, kissing, hugging, pinching) or verbal (vulgar or offensive compliments, ambiguous implications of sexual intercourse, etc.).
Results of the Online Survey on Harassment in Taxis in Central Asia
How did we conduct the survey?
Goal of the survey:
To reveal how often women in Central Asia are subjected to harassment in a taxi.
Tasks:
1. To determine the percentage of women who were subjected to harassment in Central Asia.
2. To determine the percentage of women who were subjected to harassment in a taxi in Central Asia.
3. To identify the most common type of harassment towards women in a taxi.
4. To determine how often women were subjected to harassment in a taxi.
5. To determine the most often reaction to harassment in a taxi.
6. To determine what women do after they experienced harassment in a taxi.
To reveal how often women in Central Asia are subjected to harassment in a taxi.
Tasks:
1. To determine the percentage of women who were subjected to harassment in Central Asia.
2. To determine the percentage of women who were subjected to harassment in a taxi in Central Asia.
3. To identify the most common type of harassment towards women in a taxi.
4. To determine how often women were subjected to harassment in a taxi.
5. To determine the most often reaction to harassment in a taxi.
6. To determine what women do after they experienced harassment in a taxi.
Geography of the survey
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
Fieldwork stage
The survey was conducted from October 7 to November 7, 2020. The questionnaire included 17 combined questions.
Questionnaires
Questionnaires were available in five languages (Russian, Kazakh, Tajik, Kyrgyz and Uzbek).
Distribution channels
The survey was distributed on social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram), on the official CABAR.asia pages, as well as via Central Asian bloggers.
Online survey sampling
The target audience of our survey were women of all ages from Central Asia who use taxi services.
Limitation
The survey does not represent the opinion of those who use taxi services but do not have access to the Internet.
Mostly, urban residents of Central Asia participated in the survey.
The total number of respondents is 400 people from Central Asian countries.
Mostly, people aged 18-28 participated in the survey.
Limitation
The survey does not represent the opinion of those who use taxi services but do not have access to the Internet.
Mostly, urban residents of Central Asia participated in the survey.
The total number of respondents is 400 people from Central Asian countries.
Mostly, people aged 18-28 participated in the survey.
Sampling by gender
22 males participated in the survey.
We should note that out of 5% of men participating in the survey, only 1% were subjected to the verbal harassment, which was the driver's excessive interest in the passenger's private life. The analysis of the survey also demonstrated that men most often accompany their loved ones, since they are afraid to let them ride in a taxi alone.
We should note that out of 5% of men participating in the survey, only 1% were subjected to the verbal harassment, which was the driver's excessive interest in the passenger's private life. The analysis of the survey also demonstrated that men most often accompany their loved ones, since they are afraid to let them ride in a taxi alone.
62% of respondents are 18-28 years old
Harassment towards women
in Central Asia
in Central Asia
71% of interviewed women shared that they experienced harassment in their lives. 81% of female respondents said that they experienced harassment in a taxi. Mostly, it was verbal harassment (personal questions, obsessive attempts to get to know each other closer, as well as unwanted comments and suggestions).
Overall, every 20th taxi ride ends with harassment of interviewed women. Most often, women do not know how to react to harassment, so they prefer to keep silent until the end of ride. After the trip ends, they try to forget about what happened. Moreover, the women said that most often, taxi drivers ask questions about their private lives, try to get to know each other closer, and if a woman refuses, they block the doors.
What to do if you are harassed in a taxi?
Central Asian women prefer not to report harassment in a taxi to the police. Only 4.3% of interviewed women addressed the police after the incident, the rest preferred to forget it. These are the results of a survey conducted as part of the Central Asia Taxi Safety Information Campaign.
According to the experts, even if a woman addresses the law enforcement agencies, they are not interested in investigating such cases. Although, each person who was subjected to sexual harassment has the right to address the law enforcement agencies – the police department.
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« In order to prove that a person was subjected to certain acts of a sexual nature, it is necessary to record all the possible evidence at that time in a taxi: what happened, what the driver did. If you use a taxi application, you must contact the management of this organisation and state that the driver displayed a rude and unethical behaviour, which was expressed by sexual comments or harassment. Perhaps, the disrespectful attitude was expressed in physical touching the passenger, or the driver could watch obscene photographs and videos during the ride. It is necessary to address the police with such a statement,» says lawyer Dinara Zhubatova.
If a passenger has the opportunity, it is important to record all the available evidence during the trip: to film everything, or record an audio, and ask the witnesses to testify if they are nearby. At the same time, it should be noted that the norms of the Criminal Code provide for the prosecution only if the driver proposed to engage in a sexual intercourse.
«Otherwise, if the driver does not make such proposals and does not openly offer the passenger to have sexual intercourse, then such actions will be qualified as petty hooliganism,» the expert says.
«Otherwise, if the driver does not make such proposals and does not openly offer the passenger to have sexual intercourse, then such actions will be qualified as petty hooliganism,» the expert says.
Recommendations on how to protect yourself in a taxi
1
Do not stop a taxi on the street. It is better to call an official taxi service, but if an untrustworthy driver comes to you from the taxi service, it is better to refuse the ride.
2
Before getting into the taxi, take a picture of the license plate, dial someone and tell him/her the number from the license plate loudly, so that the driver can hear it.
3
Do not talk to the driver. In case if he is trying to start a conversation with you or joke, demonstrate that you do not want to continue this conversation.
4
Sit in the back seat only.
5
If the driver wants to pick someone up on the way, stop by for a second at a friend's place or at the garage, never agree to such conditions.
6
Install a GPS navigator on your phone, control the ride and send your current geolocation to a trusted person. If you notice that the driver does not follow the route, ask him to explain or demand to stop the car.
7
Purchase a pepper spray canister, or an electric shocker for self-defence. However, remember that according to the law, a person does not have the right to exceed the degree of necessary self-defence even in the case of protection from the attack.
Psychological assistance is important
According to the survey results, only 2% of interviewed Central Asian women consulted a psychologist after a harassment incident in a taxi.
Nevertheless, the specialists' assistance should not be ignored, since a post-harassment trauma can provoke the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Therefore, it is important to seek psychological assistance if you experience feelings of guilt, fear, shame, loneliness, or other unpleasant emotions and memories.
According to the survey results, only 2% of interviewed Central Asian women consulted a psychologist after a harassment incident in a taxi.
Nevertheless, the specialists' assistance should not be ignored, since a post-harassment trauma can provoke the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Therefore, it is important to seek psychological assistance if you experience feelings of guilt, fear, shame, loneliness, or other unpleasant emotions and memories.
Our team:
Authors:
Zulfiya Raisova,
Nazigul Zhusupova,
Mazhab Jum'a,
Irina Matvienko
Nazigul Zhusupova,
Mazhab Jum'a,
Irina Matvienko
Editor:
Natalia Lee
Idea:
Zulfiya Raisova,
Dastan Akkozha
Idea:
Zulfiya Raisova,
Dastan Akkozha
Collection of the stories:
Ismail Karypov,
Farangis Davronova,
Vera Sukhina,
Anastasia Cherepanova,
Dastan Akkozha,
Kirill Fleyman,
Moldir Alban
Farangis Davronova,
Vera Sukhina,
Anastasia Cherepanova,
Dastan Akkozha,
Kirill Fleyman,
Moldir Alban
Illustrations:
Nasiba Karimova
Layout and design:
Karina Tolmacheva
Layout and design:
Karina Tolmacheva
The longread was created as part of the Central Asia Taxi Safety Information Campaign
