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In-Flight Sexual Assaults on Airlines

Sexual Assaults on Airplanes

Sexual Assaults on Airlines are on the Rise

Being sexually assaulted in-flight on an airplane is the last thing any traveler would think about. Yet sexual assaults in flight is a crime on the rise. The reporting of sexual assault in the sky has seen an increase in reporting over the last several years. The FBI has recently reported that sexual assaults on airlines have increased by 45% in 2016, over the prior year. Many of these sexual assaults on airlines have occurred on international flights which have caused some air carriers to take action.

Women are the majority of victims in these unique, in-flight crimes. However, children and young teens traveling alone, both girls and boys, have also been targets. Airlines are responding in various ways from training flight personnel to implementing special seating options for women. In January 2017, Air India rolled out “female-only” seating rows on certain flights.

Detective Kevin Coffey was recently interviewed on this subject in BottomLine Personal Magazine. The article “Sexual Assault On Airplanes Is On The Rise” the full Bottomline online article is here. Detective Coffey provides a series of tips and advice that women travelers, as well as parents sending children on flights alone, should read before their next flight.

Several major news publications have been alerting the public about these types of crimes.  In October 2016, the New York Times wrote about the subject in their article “Recent Incidents Put a New Focus on Sexual Assaults on Airplanes“.  Here’s another link to an article in the Huffington Post “Here’s How Airlines Really Handle Sexual Assault.” The media continues to cover the crime of sexual assaults on airplanes to heighten awareness of the crime and major airlines are now providing training to flight attendants on how to handle in-flight assaults.

Here’s What You Can Do to Stop In-Flight Assaults

Book an aisle seat if possible. You’re more visible to flight attendants and fellow passengers on the aisle, making it more difficult for a sexual predator to target you without being seen.

React loudly if you are groped. This typically stops the predator by ­attracting the attention of nearby passengers. Be sure to something like, “stop, touching me is not OK” that is better than just a scream and puts the predator on the defense.

As a passenger, you are in a controlled environment and you can influence what happens around you. No matter how friendly the passenger next to you is be mindful about what you share of your personal life. A detail such as a recent break-up or that you’re on a solo trip is information that someone may interpret as an invitation to be “friendly.” It’s best not to engage in too much personal talk.

If you want to politely end a conversation with someone sitting next to you say you’re tired and close your eyes and then when you “wake-up” catch up on work or reading by taking out a laptop or book. It’s OK to change your normal behavior to avoid any type of sexual assault while on an airline.

You could also put in earbuds which signal you are not interested in talking. Do this even if you’re not listening to anything. It signals you’re not available to talk. Noise-canceling headphones have the same effect plus offer the benefit of reducing the ambient noise in the aircraft cabin.

Many women are hesitant to verbalize a request to stop unwanted behavior. You should practice saying a couple of statements as suggested to become confident and comfortable saying them.

Ask the person to stop the intrusive behavior: “ I don’t like being touched, please take your hand off of my arm/leg.” If the unwanted behavior persists escalate the force of your request to a statement as, “ I really have to insist you stop touching my arm/leg.”

If the unwanted behavior still persists then calmly call for a flight attendant to intervene. Don’t be shy or embarrassed to stand up for yourself, remember you’ve given the person who is making you uncomfortable 2 chances to change his behavior with a couple of warnings, there is no need to be uncomfortable.

Another option is to repeat your command to stop touching you loudly so that others around you will hear and look at you. At this point, it is good to say “I just told you to keep your hands to yourself, stop touching me.” At this point, you can ask for a flight attendant or another passenger will have already called one. In most cases like this, the flight attendant will try to separate you so that you’re not sitting in the same row.

More Articles For YouStop in flight sexual assaults in airlines

Stop in flight sexual assaults on airlines

 

These are 9 simple reminders about what you can actually do to be more comfortable during your time on board a plane.

Sit in bulkhead or exit row aisles.
Bulkheads offer extra leg room and no one can recline his seat back into your face. Remember that you have to store your carry-on luggage in the overheads though. Exit rows have the luxury of extra foot room, but you must be able to open the emergency door if needed.

Shoes

Dress for duress.

Wear flat-soled, lace-up shoes so you can loosen them if your feet swell. Rubber soles might catch on the exit slide during an emergency, and dress shoes don’t adjust for swelling.

Magazines

 

Entertain yourself.
Bring plenty of magazines; they’re lighter than books and disposable. Don’t forget your iPod, either; it’s the perfect way to catch up on those podcasts you’ve been meaning to listen to or to avoid unwelcome chatter from the person sitting next to you

Do “air-aerobics“.

A number of airlines offer in-seat exercise routines to help reduce swelling and pain from cramped muscles and reduced circulation. A number of airlines offer in-flight tips.

Plane seatsFix your posture.
 Airline seats don’t adjust for relaxed spinal posture. Support your lumbar spine with a rolled-up blanket and your head and neck with a pillow. Another pillow or blanket to prop up your feet will relieve pressure on the backs of your thighs.

 

Sit up front.

A recently released Harvard study found air quality in aircraft cabins didn’t meet minimum standards for office buildings. You’ll find less carbon dioxide in forward seats. During layovers, get off and take a walk; breathe deeply.

WaterDrink eight ounces of water every hour.

Airplane air has only 1% to 10% humidity, even less than most deserts. You’ll need more than the two small cart drinks offered on most flights. Bring your own bottle, and ask for a fill up on the first round of drinks; avoid coffee, alcohol and carbonated drinks, which are dehydrating diuretics.

Eat light.

Even if you order vegetarian meals, everything but fruit plates contains too much salt and fat. Bring your own healthy snacks, like dehydrated soups or nutrition bars. Don’t overeat, since your internal organs naturally swell due to cabin pressure changes.

Clock

Use daylight to adjust to a new time zone.

If you are traveling east, you must expose yourself to light early, advancing your body clock so that it will be in sync with the new time zone. Conversely, if traveling west, you should expose yourself to light at dusk and the early part of the evening, delaying your body clock so that it will be in sync with the new time zone. This may be best understood with an example. Let’s say that at 7 p.m. you board a plane in New York that is scheduled to arrive in London at 7 a.m. local time (when it’s 2 a.m. in New York). You’re traveling east, which means you need to advance your internal clock toward London time. To do that, avoid any kind of light during the flight because the exposure will delay your body clock rather than advance it. Make sleep come easier with a cozy, compact and clean travel blanket and your pillow.

Cozy, Compact Personal Travel Blanket

Cozy, compact and clean travel blanket.

Don’t pack valuables or breakables in checked luggage

Ever wonder what happens with your luggage when you give it to the airlines?  Most of the time . . . nothing . . .  You pick up your luggage at your final destination and you are on your way.  However, ever wonder why luggage becomes damaged when the airlines handle it . . . or why you should be careful about placing items of value in your luggage?  Watch the below videos to reaffirm your reasons why you never want to put anything of value in your luggage.

Note: The airlines really do an efficient job handling luggage and have handling protocols and training in place. However, the below videos did catch some employees handling luggage badly despite the airline’s best efforts. Newer styles of hard sided luggage sided luggage can be more protective and resistant to mishandling and the baggage transport system than the soft-sided styles. If you’re still using soft-sided luggage with exposed zippers and pockets, which can get caught in the baggage system, look at upgrading to a bag with a non-fabric exterior that has no exposed pockets or zippers as a first line defense against rough baggage handling, pilfering, and the baggage transport system.  Most importantly, no matter the style of luggage you use, pack it as if you’ll never see it. Avoid putting valuables or breakables in your checked bag rather opting to place them in your carry-on bag instead.