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Survey finds one-third of women suffered sex crime on MTR

Assaults go unreported by victims, who fear disrupting passengers and say police do little

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Rush hour on board an MTR train. The corporation estimates that it transports 4.3 million commuters every weekday. Photo: SCMP

More than a third of women surveyed by a rape crisis organisation say they have been victims of a sexual crime while either travelling on board an MTR train or passing through a station. But none alerted police, with many saying that making a report was a waste of time.

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The poll organiser, the Rape Crisis Centre, urged MTR managers to install more surveillance cameras, especially in areas where women wearing skirts might be exposed to a peeping Tom, such as in glass elevators.

The survey, conducted online and via questionnaires handed out over the last two months, received 533 responses - 387 from women and 146 from men.

Of the women, 139 - or 36 per cent - said they had fallen victim to some form of sexual crime. Most said they had been assaulted, while some were unwilling witnesses to indecent exposure or lewd acts; others said men had tried to take invasive photographs of them.

Less than 10 per cent sought help from people nearby.

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When asked why they didn't take action, more than half said they were afraid of being blamed by other passengers if they caused the train to be delayed, for example; while a quarter said a report wouldn't help.

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