STOPIT harassment app reveals trains as highest risk mode of transport for Victorian women
At first, Hannah didn’t pay much attention to the man in the train car.
He could see her pacing out of the corner of his eye, and she would occasionally make rude comments towards him – although this wasn’t all that unusual on Melbourne public transport. Moreover, it was the middle of the day and there were a lot of people around.
But as her behavior became more erratic, Hannah, whose name has been changed for privacy, decided to get off and switch to the tram for the remainder of her journey to work.
“He also got on the tram and I didn’t realize it,” he said.
“He came from behind and grabbed me… He grabbed me from behind, then my waist, and the front of my legs… He caught me off guard to the point where other people were probably shocked too.”
Even though the tram was relatively full, Hannah said no one intervened.
“I just got off and stood up,” he recalled.
Later that night, Hannah reported the incident using a special text line run by Victoria Police that allows commuters to flag antisocial behavior and sexual offenses on public transport.
The process involves sending a “STOPIT” message to 0499 455 455, triggering a response with a link to a form where the report can be submitted.
Hannah said she was unlikely to go to the police station to report the incident, but texting was less challenging.
According to the police, he is not alone.
Inspector Mark Zervaas said STOPIT was most popular with women aged 16 to 34, many of whom would not call Triple Zero or go to the police station.
About 60 percent of the reports come from victims, the rest from bystanders, he said. The most common time for reported crimes was between 15:00 and 19:00 on weekdays.
Trains were the biggest hotspots, accounting for 67 percent of reports despite accounting for less than 40 percent of total ridership on the state’s public transportation network, according to usage data from January of this year. Trams accounted for about 22 percent of reports, and buses accounted for about 11 percent.
More than 7,000 reports have been made since STOPIT was launched in 2022, 15 percent of which were about unwanted sexual behavior. As a result, police conducted more than 500 investigations and arrested and prosecuted 77 people, including the man who attacked Hannah. Hannah was sentenced to three months in prison for sexual assault, sexual exposure in public and upskirt.
Zervaas said STOPIT emerged in 2019, after international student Aiia Maasarwe was raped and murdered by 21-year-old Codey Herrmann about 100 meters from the Bundoora tram stop where she had just gotten off.
He said the tragedy of Maasarwe’s murder brought safety concerns about public transport to the fore, and investigations launched soon after revealed the extent of the problem and low reporting rates.
While Zervaas believes many crimes still go unreported, he said STOPIT provides an important alternative means of reporting to police, with concerns that culturally and linguistically diverse and LGBTQ people are particularly hesitant to raise the alarm.
Victoria Police this month launched a renewed campaign to promote use of the service, saying the app helps officers find and prosecute criminals, gather intelligence to better direct resources and advise the government on ways public transport safety can be improved, such as the recent decision to increase the number of mobile protective service officers.
But Monash University professor Nicole Kalms, founding director of the XYX Lab, which leads national and international research on gender and space, said the text-based service was falling far short of keeping women and girls safe on public transport.
“I doubt people see [STOPIT] and imagine you’re texting and someone shows up, he said.
“That’s not the case. There’s no live response… It could probably be useful to communicate what we do and don’t agree with in public transport areas. But it’s not an effective way of managing a pretty serious problem… [or] “To ensure that women feel safe when using public transportation.”
Kalms said gender-informed education and harmonization is needed, as well as improved lighting and signage at stations and design input from gender experts.
A year after her attack, Hannah is still on edge. He said he was pleased the app made it easier to report crimes, but was skeptical it would stop them from happening.
“It definitely shook me up more than I thought it would,” the 25-year-old said of the attack. “I gave up public transportation completely [for] maybe three months. “Now I’m taking it again, but I’m still cautious.”
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Bridget McArthur is The Age’s sports affairs correspondent. He has previously worked in various offices for ABC News, including as WA’s sports correspondent, and as a freelance writer and podcast host. Have a story you’d like to share? Contact Bridget McArthur at Bridget.mcarthur@nine.com.au or Bridgetmcarthurtips@proton.me if you are sharing sensitive information. To ensure that communications are encrypted, you must create your own account.Connect with: X.
