If you are riding on the subway and a man exposes himself to you, masturbates in front of you, or does a number of other lewd, sexual acts, what should you do?
All too often, women are being sexually assaulted on the subway only to have the pervert walk into the crowds and escape.
One of the best things that you can do (in my opinion) to stop the assault and to provide evidence that would aid in his arrest would be to take a picture. So many phones have cameras built into that he may not even know that you are taking the picture. Just have the phone in camera mode, slowly tilt it so it covers the perverts face, and shoot. Then you can take pictures of what he is doing.
After you have the evidence, make a fool out of him. Scream and yell so that every person on that train is aware of exactly what he is doing. You may even be lucky enough to have other people join in. The more witnesses you can get the better.
Never for a second be embarrassed. He should be embarrassed. By bringing attention to the pervert you are acting to protect yourself and any other woman that steps in a subway car. You did nothing to deserve being violated, but he sure did.
Once the doors open, and he tries to leave, make as much noise as possible in hopes that an NYPD officer will hear the commotion and be drawn to the man that is running away with his head down. This is the hardest part and most often will not happen. The subway is so crowded, and it's not like the NYPD is standing outside of every subway door.
What is being done to ensure that women are protected when they ride the subway?
In a recent article, I wrote that if a certain bill is passed, reports of subway assaults will be organized and analyzed to bring more retribution down on these perverts.
Also, websites like Holla Back New York, are always available to post pictures of the offenders and stories that may help other women.
Recently, a picture of a man was posted on Holla Back and the NY Daily News, for exposing himself on the subway. With a good picture of the suspect, there aren't many places for him to find when it is posted on the national news.
Ladies, these are just my suggestions for what to do in this situation. There are always different scenarios and different ways to protect yourself. The most important thing is to do something.
Don't give up hope. More is being done to bring these gropers and fondlers to justice, and you can help. By reporting when you are assaulted and taking the pervert to civil court, you are making them think twice. You can hire a New York personal injury lawyer to represent you and stand by your side as you stare your assailant down.
