3. Can Undercover Cops End Sexual Assault on Public Transportation?

In this article Juliana Jaramillo addresses an issue that affects many women who use the public transport. In packed buses or trains, women have reported being stuck in the crowd and sexually assaulted by strangers, but receiving almost no recourse for having reporting the crime to the police. This is even worse in Latin American cities, where street harassment is considered a compliment by both genders.  This week, the Colombian police announced there will be a group of eleven elite officers who will act as undercover cops on Bogotá's massive transportation system. In 2012, a survey directed by the La Directoria de la Mujer, showed that out of 17,399 women, 64% reported having been touched inappropriately while using public transportation. However, many of the attackers were able to escape undetected, and the ones who were caught did not receive a serious punishment. Of course, eleven people won't be able to make a huge difference, but it is a step in the right direction. The only other attempt to fix this problem was the "pink buses," buses dedicated for women, because prosecuting men and expecting them to behave like decent humans was too much work for the government. The "pink bus" project was a failure, but we can see that with the undercover cops, the government of Bogotá has shifted its focus from the victims, no longer isolating them, telling them how to dress or how to avoid creeps, instead they are using their resources to focus on the actual problem: the attackers.


With this article, Juliana Jaramillo shined a light on the attempt of ending sexual harassment made by  Bogotá's government. She starts by saying how big of an issue sexual harassment is in public transportation, using numbers and statistics to show that she is serious and that her information is valid. She shows how many women in Latin America suffer from this, and how Bogotá is taking a huge step forward in terms of how the government views sexual harassment. Her language is simple and more casual. She uses short sentences and words like "creeps", something that pleases the younger audiences. She makes sassy remarks, shaming men that can't behave like decent humans and ending the article saying that "Police forces around the world should take note."

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/08/01/undercover_cops_for_sexual_assault_bogot_police_crack_down_on_sexual_assault.html