LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has launched an around-the-clock counseling hotline to provide support to riders who experience unwanted sexual advances.
The “It’s Off Limits” hotline was unveiled Wednesday. The launch is part of a campaign encouraging riders to report sexual harassment on trains and buses.
A 2015 survey found one in every 14 Metro passengers had been fondled or groped while riding trains or buses in Los Angeles County. It’s not clear how many incidents were reported to law enforcement.
Metro CEO Phillip Washington says that’s an alarming statistic and “one is too many.”
The confidential hotline provides counseling through the nonprofit Peace Over Violence.
The group’s executive director says the hotline provides moral and psychological support and gives riders the option to report incidents to police.