‘Creep’ harasses teen during flight; Canadian journalist intervenes

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Joanna Chiu, the Bureau chief of Toronto Star Vancouver, took to social media recently to detail her experience of witnessing a man sexually harassing a teen during their flight.

Chiu took to Twitter where she made a thread about “airplane creeps” on March 25. She was in the plane then while the man and the teen sat in a row behind her.

“A man appearing to be in his late thirties was obviously delighted to be seated next to a teenager separated from the rest of her family,” Chiu wrote.

The man began by asking the girl about her career plans, as per Chiu. When the teen said she wanted to be a chief executive officer, the man laughed and kept giving her ridiculous advice.

A man appearing in his late thirties was obviously delighted to be seated next to a teenager separated from the rest of her family. He started off by asking about her career plans and laughed when she said she wanted to be CEO and kept giving her ridiculous advice.

— Joanna Chiu (@joannachiu) March 25, 2019

“She was friendly and he seemed to take that as a welcome cue to get very familiar,” she said. “[He] started teasing her and kept saying that he wanted to take her out to eat, which she was ignoring.”

At that point, Chiu decided to stay awake just in case things went further. It did.

“As soon as he asked for a ‘dirty’ photo while leaning close to her, I turned around and rage-whispered exactly what I thought of that.”

It did, and as soon as he asked for a “dirty” photo while leaning close to her I turned around and rage-whispered exactly what I thought of that and he didn’t say anything back and went off to use the washroom.

— Joanna Chiu (@joannachiu) March 25, 2019

The man did not respond and instead went to the washroom. While gone, Chiu called the attention of a flight attendant to tell them what was going on. Another woman sitting behind the teen also said she had the right to change seats if she wanted and offered her support should she need help. 

The flight service asked the man to change seats upon his return, which prompted him to swear at Chiu.

“He resisted then started swearing at me and asked to talk to the boss and the head flight attendant said, ‘I’m the boss, this is really serious and we could land the plane,’” Chiu said.

They checked other witness accounts and the head of the flight service (a woman) asked the man to move. He resisted then started swearing at me and asked to talk to the boss and the head flight attendant said “I’m the boss, this is really serious and we could land the plane.”

— Joanna Chiu (@joannachiu) March 25, 2019

The man eventually moved and the flight attendants checked on the teen and wrote a report.

“Just walked off the plane and security was ready to pull him aside to talk to him and he looked like he was sweating bullets,” she tweeted again.

Chiu refrained from mentioning the airline’s name, but praised the Canadian crew for the way they handled the situation. She also said she got the man’s name and his employer and will be “sending a private note to them.”

What seems to be the elephant in the room, however, was how none of the male passengers seemed to have noticed what was going on, noted Chiu.

“Maybe fellow women are more likely to pick up on warning signs early on in the conversation because we used to be teenage girls too?” she wondered. 

But none of the male passengers seemed to show they noticed what was going on. Maybe fellow women are more likely to pick up on warning signs early on in the conversation because we used to be teenage girls too?

— Joanna Chiu (@joannachiu) March 25, 2019

In the end, she gave a list of tips and examples via the Stop Street Harassment organization on how people can help stop harassment. The tips were suggested by social sciences professor Brian Martin of the University of Wollongong in Australia.

“If it looks like a man is bothering a woman, ask her, ‘Is someone bothering you?’ That question alone may deter a harasser who believes no one will intervene,” it said.

Martin also suggested calling the harasser out and asking assistance from authorities and other people nearby. Giving supportive words to someone who has just been sexually harassed was also recommended. 

Sexual assaults in commercial flights are on the rise, as per a Federal Bureau of Investigation report in 2018, covering the period between 2014 to 2017. Around 38 cases of in-flight sexual assault were reported in 2014 alone, which increased to 63 cases in 2017. Sexual assault aboard an aircraft is considered a felony and can land offenders in prison. Cody Cepeda/JB

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