Kyiv, 10 December 2024 — To mark Human Rights Day, the findings of a joint initiative by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS Kyiv) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine's Accelerator Lab and Gender Working Group were presented in Kyiv. The presentation of the initiative, which studied gender-based violence on public transport in Ukraine, concluded the "16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence" campaign.

Behavioural Experiment

The initiative included an experiment aimed at uncovering hidden issues, biases, and fears of individuals who witnessed inappropriate behaviour. Actors staged scenarios in the subway entitled “The Obsessive Passenger” and “Accusation of Occupying a Seat.” In the first scenario, a man attempted to initiate a conversation with a woman who clearly expressed discomfort. The actor became increasingly persistent, ignoring her efforts to end the interaction. In the second scenario, a man claimed that a woman had taken "his" seat, insisting that she vacate it even when other seats were available nearby.

The objective of the experiment was to study the responses of witnesses to unfair behaviour and to determine whether passengers would notice the woman's discomfort and intervene or make comments.

The findings revealed that gender-based violence is most often not tolerated by individuals aged 40-45 years. Passengers aged 14-20 exhibited reactions of embarrassment, anxiety, and confusion. Young girls showed moral condemnation towards antisocial behaviour. Their reactions demonstrated a confident and adequate assertion of their rights concerning proper conduct in public spaces. In contrast, older individuals tended to immediately suppress any attempts to disrupt public order.

It was noted that the sound of an aggressively complaining female voice served as a weak signal to subway users. The situation of passive tolerance towards a source of irritation illustrates a stance of passive silence on gender-based violence and reflects a victimization attitude.

Survey

As part of the campaign, a survey was conducted among over 1,200 public transport users. One in five respondents reported occasionally encountering manifestations of violence. More than 18% had experienced inappropriate behaviour from other passengers at least once. Over 20% of passengers do not allow children under 12 to travel alone on public transport.

Regarding reactions to incidences of violence, 38% of respondents reported using their voice to stop inappropriate actions. 28% chose to ignore the situation, and only 5.5% sought help from the National Police.

When asked why they did not intervene, over 15% of respondents stated that someone else had intervened. Another 15% said they felt fear. Comparable numbers, about 12%, indicated that the situation did not require intervention or that they did not know how to help.

According to the survey, passengers judged the top three safest methods for preventing violence to include calling the emergency hotline “102” (57%), asking for help from others (37%), and calling for medical assistance (37%).

More than 40% of respondents believe that all passengers should take primary responsibility for safety.

Among the top three factors that increase the likelihood of violence, respondents cited inadequate education and socialisation, overcrowding, and the lack of video surveillance.

Among the primary factors that could improve safety levels in public transport, respondents mentioned the installation of emergency buttons for calling for help, implementing continuous video monitoring in carriages, and conducting training on safe techniques to prevent violence.

Background:

The initiative was implemented by the Centre for Social Change and Behavioural Economics in partnership with AICS Kyiv and the UNDP Accelerator Lab, with financial support from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ), the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), and the European Union.

Media Enquiries: 

Yuliia Samus, UNDP Ukraine Head of Communications; e-mail: yuliia.samus@undp.org 

Barbara Taccone, AICS Kyiv, External Relations, Communications & Gender Focal Point;
e-mail: barbara.taccone@aics.gov.it