Every woman surveyed in Paris claimed to have been a victim of some kind of sexual harassment on the city ’ s public transport . Half of them were assaulted before they were 18 years old . The poll led to calls for a campaign to stem sexist or threatening behaviour on buses and trains . The survey found that “ every female user of mass transit has been a victim ” of “ gender harassment or sexual assault ” – even though some are “ unaware ” of this because they have been conditioned to accept low-level abuse . Every woman surveyed in Paris claimed to have been a victim of some kind of sexual harassment on the city ’ s public transport . The poll of 600 women from the area around Paris found that half of those interviewed said they had first suffered harassment under the age of 18 . Harassment can range from “ insults to other intimidating behaviour ( insistent flirting , whistling , comments on appearance ) , to sex attacks or rape , ” it said . The problem meant that six out of ten women were afraid of being attacked on public transport compared to three out of ten men . Often “ invisible ” because unreported , these physical and verbal attacks limit “ the freedom of women , because they are often obligated to alter their daily lives : changing their routes , modes of transportation , schedules , attitudes and clothing in order to avoid confrontation , ” the report handed to the French women ’ s rights ministry this week , claimed . The result was to “ exclude women from the public arena ” , it said . Pascale Boisard , president of the high council for gender equality , which compiled the report , told Le Parisien she had not realised that “ the problem was quite this widespread ” . The poll led to calls for a campaign to stem sexist or threatening behaviour on buses and trains . Pictured : The Haussmann-Saint-Lazare railway station in Paris . “ Women must be able to move about and occupy the public space without being placed in danger or threatened . It ’ s a fundamental freedom , ” she said . Ernestine Ronai , also on the council , said : “ Attackers are the impression they can act with total impunity , notably by making use of a crowd to hide and flee . “ Women don ’ t necessarily know how to put words on what they go through in public transport . It should be reiterated that putting your hand on someone ’ s backside is sexual assault punishable by a five-year prison term and a €75,000 fine. ” . She said women needed to be better “ educated that what they ’ re going through is not normal ” , and that the message must reach “ aggressors and witnesses ” .
The poll surveyed 150 women from the area in and around Paris . All claimed to have been victims of assaults on transport workers . Found half of those women had been assaulted before they were 18 . Led to campaign for campaign to tackle sexist and threatening violence .