One more step towards safer transport. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Transport published a press release indicating that sexist and sexual violence in public transport was up by more than 15% in 2023 compared to 2022. In total, 4,091 attacks were recorded on all transport networks. operators.
A subject which obviously concerns transport in the Ile-de-France region. But RATP and Île-de-France Mobilités did not wait for these figures to fall to take charge of the subject and this Thursday inaugurated 64 new safe places on its surface network.
Thirty basement businesses by the end of the year
In December 2023, the region's transport organization and its historic operator inaugurated the first “safe space” at Auber station on the RER A (9th arrondissement), a Relay store in which women victims of sexual harassment, attack or who felt in danger could take refuge. The employees there had been trained by the Umay company under the mantra of “3Rs” (Collect, Reassure, Inform) in the same way as two other businesses in the same station, another Relay and a Monoprix.
This was the first stone of a system to combat sexist and sexual violence which continues to be built on the Ile-de-France network. Since then, fifteen businesses in underground stations have been integrated and fifteen others should be integrated by the end of the year.
64 safe places on the T3b line
This Thursday is therefore a new step forward in the fight since the 64 businesses concerned are all located above ground, along the T3b tram line which has 33 stops linking Porte de Vincennes (12th arrondissement) to Porte Dauphine ( 17th district). To date, 34 of these safe places are already listed on the Umay application and 30 are in the process of being listed.
The Umay application allows women who feel in danger to quickly geolocate nearby places where they can be welcomed and brought to safety.
For the occasion, Valérie Pécresse, president of the region and Île-de-France Mobilités, Jean Castex, CEO of RATP were joined by François Durovray, Minister of Transport, and Salima Saa, Secretary of State responsible for Equality between women and men to visit one of these certified places, a newsagent located opposite the Angélique-Compoint station (18th arrondissement).
Alert numbers to report or testify
“Faced with the increase in reports of sexist and sexual violence, I call on all French people and Ile-de-France residents in particular, to mobilize and not let anything go unaddressed. In this sense, I welcome the commitment of communities and transport operators, as well as the partnership established with the start-up Umay. I invite everyone to share this good initiative, these safe places, to show that no, women are not alone and sexist and sexual violence concerns us all. »
Our file on VSS
In addition to the Umay application to download on all mobile platforms, elected officials recalled the existence of the number 3117, an alert number common to the RATP and the SNCF and available 24 hours a day to report any violence or act of harassment on the Ile-de-France network. It is available for users and witnesses, as is the number 31177 by SMS for those who would like to remain discreet and avoid being taken to task.
