A bus company is taking steps to minimise sexual harassment
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Read the following story by Melalin Mahavongtrakul from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
Transport Co is taking steps to minimise sexual harassment.
NIGHTMARE TRIP
Male and female passengers sit next to each other on a tour bus. The male passenger pretends to fall asleep while putting his hand on the leg of the lady sitting next to him.
That's a sexual harassment scenario Prasert Panjaroenthakonkun, a tour-bus driver with 18 years of experience, has witnessed most often.
"When that happens, the female passenger will inform us or ask to change her seat, which we gladly do," said Prasert. "I see this kind of incident happening about twice a year. There hasn't been any worse scenario from what I've experienced. But as we also have hundreds of buses operating out there, we don't always know the amount or the extent to which these incidents take place."
NEW YEAR RISKS
New Year holiday is approaching. For many Thais, that means hopping on a tour bus to go on vacation or return to their hometown. In preparation for this busy period, the Safe Cities for Women campaign and state-owned tour-bus operator Transport Co (Bor Kor Sor) are working together to tighten on-board security, especially against sexual harassment towards women.
A survey conducted by the Safe Cities for Women has found that 45% of female passengers within metropolitan Bangkok have faced sexual harassment while commuting on public transport. With over 80,000 passengers commuting via Bor Kor Sor tour buses daily, there are risks that harassment could take place on these buses too.
Based on information from Safe Cities, some common forms of sexual harassment found on public transportation -- in addition to inappropriate touching -- include dirty talk, rubbing against the victim's body and even showing porn.
HARRASSMENT TRAINING
Bor Kor Sor currently has 480 tour buses running throughout the country, plus over 4,000 private-owned vehicles under its management, as well as 2,800 staff members. Recognising the important role on-board staff -- from bus drivers to bus hostesses -- and even fellow passengers could play, Safe Cities has been working with the bus operator in adding preventive measures to ensure everybody's safety as the holiday season begins.
Varaporn Chamsanit, from the Women Wellbeing programme, was involved in the staff training process. She reported that all participating members have witnessed sexual harassment while on duty. Some received training years ago, though lately the knowledge on how to handle harassment is mostly passed on informally.
"While they are not really trained for it, these staff members have been handling issues in quite a similar way to that provided in the training handbook, which includes asking passengers to switch seats or giving perpetrators some warning," said Varaporn. She revealed that there is also a plan to train staff to become trainers so that they can help spread this information to fellow staff members.
Jirasak Yaowatsakul, managing director of Transport Co, considers this a big step for the bus operator, adding that he is ready to further improve the tour bus service for all passengers. Aside from existing CCTV cameras available at the bus terminals, there is now a plan to add on-board cameras as an extra form of protection. The cameras should be installed on all buses by mid-2019.
In order to raise awareness of all passengers, a short video clip will also be played on every tour bus to educate them on what to do if they fall victim to sexual harassment. The clip comes with demonstrations on how to react in different situations. Some of the suggested actions are letting the perpetrator know you're aware of his behaviour, changing seats and calling out for help.
Section 1
Read through the story and answer the following questions.
1. How long has Prasert been a bus driver? …………….
2. How often does Prasert see sexual harassment? …………….
3. How many passengers use Bor Kor Sor transport per day? …………….
4. What programme does Varaporn work for? …………….
5. Forty-five percent of Bangkok women have not faced harassment on public transport.
True or false? ………….....
6. How many vehicles does Bor Kor Sor operate or manage?
a. 2,800. b. 4,000. c. More than 4,480.
7. Who will train bus staff members in the future?
a. Perpetrators. b. Passengers. c. Staff members.
8. When will cameras be installed on all Bor Kor Sor buses?
a. In a year. b. In early 2019. c. In around six months’ time.
Section 2
Underline one grammatically incorrect word in each of the following sentences. Then, write down the grammatically correct word in the space given.
9. The event was hold at Mor Chit bus terminal. ……………
10. Seventy staff members have being trained. ……………
11. The event also see the launch of a book. ……………
12. The book show staff how to help passengers. ……………
13. New Year is the most danger time to travel. ……………
Section 3
Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.
….14…. the drivers being instructed was Prasert, who said he was glad to undergo the training in ….15…. that it could reassure passengers regarding on-board safety and security.
"It is our ….16…. to make sure passengers travel comfortably and free of worries. When they ….17…. their destination safely, feeling good that staff like us have taken ….18…. care of them, some have complimented us and we feel happy and ….19….. for that," said Prasert.
14. a. Among b. Apart c. As well
15. a. the hope b. the wish c. the dream
16. a. responsible b. responsibility c. response
17. a. go b. arrive c. reach
18. a. some b. good c. best
19. a. proud b. pride c. pound
Section 4
Find words used in the story that are synonyms of the following words.
20. seen …………………………
21. holiday …………………………
22. urban …………………………
23. security …………………………
24. change …………………………
Answers:
1. 18 years. 2. Twice a year. 3. Over 80,000. 4. Women Wellbeing. 5. False. 6. c. 7. c. 8. c.
9. hold; held 10. being; been 11. see; saw 12. show; shows 13. danger; dangerous
14. a. 15. a. 16. b. 17. c. 18. b. 19. a.
20. witnessed. 21. vacation. 22. metropolitan. 23. safety. 24. switch.
SCORE
21-24: Excellent! 17-20: Good. 13-16: Fair. 12 or fewer: You'll do better next time!
