Initiative to prevent sexual harassment on BART showing signs of progress

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) rider survey shows its Not One More Girl campaign to bring awareness to sexual harassment on transit initiative is helping reduce harassment and improve the perception of safety on BART. 

BART has been working with the Alliance for Girls, Betti Ono, Black Girls Brilliance, The Unity Council’s Latinx Mentorship and Achievement (LMA) Program, and a group of Alliance for Girls advocacy member organizations to engage local girls and gender expansive youth about their experiences on BART and to develop cultural strategies to prevent, interrupt and address gender-based harassment and violence on transit. 

Encouraging data 

As part of the initiative, BART began collecting ongoing rider data about harassment through the Passenger Environment Survey. BART added the question: Have you experienced gender based sexual harassment in the last six months at BART?  The percentage of riders answering yes has gone from a high of 12 percent during the period covering January-June 2021 to now 7 percent. 

BART also conducted surveys to measure the impacts of the Not One More Girl campaign. An online survey among randomly selected BART riders showed the effort raised awareness about sexual harassment and what to do if it occurs and it made people feel safer when riding BART. 

For example: 

• 65 percent responded they are more aware of sexual harassment/gender-based violence. 
• 59 percent responded they now know what to do it they witness harassment/gender-based violence on BART. 
• 52 percent responded they know more about how sexual harassment/gender-based violence impacts girls, transgender and gender non-conforming people on BART. 
• 46 percent responded they know where to get help if they experience sexual harassment/gender-based violence on BART. 
• 36 percent responded they felt safer riding BART. 

Surveys that were provided at in-person Not One More Girl pop-up events in 2021 had even higher scores with 43 percent of respondents feeling safer riding BART after learning about the initiative. 

Active use of new reporting tool   

BART also added the new reporting category, “Unwanted sexual harassment (non-criminal)” to the BART Watch app in March 2021. To date, 29 sexual harassment incidents have been reported through the app. Many provided enough information to have officers immediately dispatched to check on the situation. 

Examples of reports include: 

• There is a group of men harassing women going down the stairs to BART. 
• This man has been staring at me and making sexual comments about me. Tried to grab me but others were around. 
• This man sitting in the back has been following me and constantly asking me questions and staring at me, I feel very uncomfortable and I’m just on my way home from school. Please have someone waiting for him at the West Oakland BART Station where I will get (off), and he will continue to follow me. 

New decals being added 

At the launch of the campaign, the BART Board of Directors amended BART’s code of conduct to include the prohibition of sexual harassment, marking the first time a behavior that is not against the penal code or existing law was added. Decals onboard new trains have been updated to include “sexual harassment.” 

Another decal outlining what to do if you experience gender-based violence or sexual harassment are being added to all restrooms. 

New safety staff prevent harassment 

The group recommended BART increase unarmed safety personnel such as transit ambassadors across the system and hire youth leaders with a violence prevention background to be on the hiring panels for such roles. BART recently finished hiring all 10 ambassadors and 15 of the planned 20 crisis intervention specialists.  

These unarmed employees who speak multiple languages and are trained in de-escalation and anti-bias techniques have increased their presence on trains and on platforms. They are playing an important role in preventing and interrupting harassment – including sexual harassment, street harassment, as well as hateful actions and language. 

Next Phase of the Not One More Girl Campaign 

Not One More Girl is a community driven initiative centering girls and gender expansive youth to reimagine safety for riders on BART. The second phase of the campaign is being developed now and will be launched in the coming months.  

Elements will include advancing bystander intervention training for riders, building power through integrated arts and cultural engagements with particular focus on the transgender community and transit-dependent girls, curated events and additional surveys to measure impact and effectiveness.