Sexual assault and harassment on cruise ships, airliners, passenger trains, and ridesharing services would be reported under legislation penned by Oregon Representative Peter DeFazio.
The Stop Sexual Assault and Harassment in Transportation Act would require travel companies and carriers to establish policies, training, and reporting systems for incidents.
Congressman DeFazio says it aims to protect both employees and travelers.
“One of the most problematic areas is cruise lines, ‘cause once they go outside the territorial waters of the U.S., you’re on a ship that is from a country that doesn’t exist! And they don’t have any courts," says DeFazio.
"So where do you go for recourse? We’ve got to deal with these issues, with cruise lines, with airlines, and any other mass transportation provider and with Lyft, and Uber, and other TNCs.”
The bill would also require the U.S. Department of Transportation to gather and publicly share incident data.
The Association of Flight Attendants backs the bill. A recent survey showed 68 percent of attendants experienced harassment during their careers.
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