Calm music to prevent sexual harassment on Barcelona public transport

BARCELONA public transport will play calm background music to prevent sexual harassment.

The Barcelona Metropolitan Transport department has come up with a plan to prevent sexual harassment, which includes installing surveillance cameras and a stop-on-demand system on buses and improving the lighting of metro facilities, as well as playing music which promotes calmness and doesn’t generate aggressiveness.

The plan was presented by the President, Rosa Alarcon, and the Head of the Social Cohesion, Citizenship and Wellbeing of the Provincial Council, Lluisa Moret, and will be carried out in collaboration with Women’s Rights Protection Associations.

They have said that a survey showed that 60 per cent of public transport users are women, and that 21.6 per cent of people who suffer sexual harassment in a public place report that it took place on public transport.

The cameras have already been installed on 24 buses and broadcast images in real time. Security guards have also begun to work on the buses, especially at the “most sensitive” times.

Lighting will be improved in corridors, lobbies and platforms so there are no areas which women need to avoid.

The plan also includes installing features in the Barcelona Metropolitan Transport App so that security protocol can be activated easily if sexual harassment occurs and training drivers and other staff so they know how to behave if a situation of this nature is reported.

An awareness campaign will be launched on the buses and metro and the department wants to prevent repeat offenders from accessing public transport, although this is not an option at the moment because it has to be approved by a judge.


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Jennifer Leighfield

Jennifer Leighfield, born in Salisbury, UK; resident in Malaga, Spain since 1989. Degree in Translation and Interpreting in Spanish, French and English from Malaga University (2005), specialising in Crime, Forensic Medicine and Genetics. Published translations include three books by Richard Handscombe. Worked with Euro Weekly News since November 2006. Well-travelled throughout Spain and the rest of the world, fan of Harry Potter and most things ‘geek’.

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