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here should be no reason for people in a metropolis like Jakarta to refuse to use public transportation as their primary means of getting around. Amid the government’s persistent campaign to encourage the population to use trains or buses, however, security on public transportation remains a major cause for concern, especially for female passengers.

On Dec. 11, an account of sexual harassment aboard a Jakarta commuter train on the Cikarang-Jakarta Kota route went viral. A victim and witness shared her nightmare on her Instagram story as well as on the online platform Hollaback! Jakarta, a civil society group aimed at raising awareness of sexual harassment.

Not only did the woman fall victim to and witness sexual harassment, she was also threatened by the perpetrator, who chased her as she disembarked at Bekasi Station. Fortunately she reached the security guard post before the man could catch her.

The woman also wondered why the other victim, after being notified, did not seem concerned about the harassment. Worse, no other passengers on the crowded train responded to her calls for help.

According to a survey released last year by the Thomson Reuters Foundation and YouGov, Jakarta ranks fifth out of 16 major cities in the world notorious for their public transportation system being dangerous for women. The aforementioned case, God forbid, may be a daily occurrence for your wife, sister or daughter.

Since its launch in September last year, Hollaback! Jakarta has uploaded more than 200 submissions about sexual harassment. Women’s protection groups believe cases of sexual harassment in the country have actually been underreported, as many victims opt to remain silent for safety reasons or refuse to look back at the traumatic experience.

Female victims of sexual violence have had to face an unsupportive environment, even inside police offices, where they are supposed to feel safe. National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian recently sparked outrage for his defense of the old standard operating procedure of questioning, which requires investigators to ask a victim whether she enjoyed the sexual assault.

Many say rampant cases of sexual harassment are because of the patriarchal culture embedded in our society. But with the world moving toward equality, such an excuse is no longer acceptable.

It instead justifies the misconduct and shifts the burden on women, as evident every time women are told not to wear revealing clothing to protect themselves from predators.

First and foremost, the state has to ensure the safety of women, as well as children, in all modes of public transportation. The sense of safety can be felt not necessarily by the presence of police officers, but simply if the perpetrators face justice.

To bring the perpetrators to court and create a deterrent effect, the police will have to change their approach, with priority given to the safety and courage of victims and witnesses.