BOB
BOB is a system that enables victims of harassment on public transport to seek help quickly and discreetly.
Marie Hinrichs, Lea Kettinger and Jona Strickler
3rd semester, 2023
Speakers: Sarah Antes, Sebastian Haase, Martin Haas, Prof. Tsunemitsu Tanka, Torben Toepper and Tomas Zebis
The issue
The number of victims of harassment is rising every day, but people rarely seek or receive help. A survey by the BKA revealed that more than half of the women questioned try to avoid certain places and public transport, particularly at night. Safety on public transport is regarded as a particular concern, especially in the evening and at night. This sense of insecurity affects the use of public transport and, in some cases, even leads people to avoid using it altogether.
Harassment in any form, and particularly on public transport, is a serious problem that must be tackled. When people seek support and find none, a sense of insecurity turns into fear. Public transport users would like to have a point of contact. Unfortunately, there are currently no specific support services in place to assist victims of harassment directly and prevent the situation from escalating.
Idea
Victims must be encouraged to seek help. Their concerns must be taken seriously. Safety on public transport can only be achieved through collective effort. Passengers and staff must fulfil their responsibilities to ensure a safe travel environment.
To successfully combat harassment, both those in positions of responsibility and society as a whole must be held accountable. This can be achieved through raising awareness and encouraging action. It is also essential that public transport users are provided with adequate means of seeking help.
Solution
Together, we have developed a system called BOB, which plays a key role in preventing harassment on public transport. Our aim is to boost users’ sense of safety and raise awareness of the issue of harassment. By enabling users to seek help quickly and discreetly from fellow passengers and staff, BOB is designed to facilitate early intervention and thus prevent situations from escalating. In addition, BOB helps to raise awareness of the issue of harassment and teaches users how to protect themselves and others from harassment.
Our system is a combination of a mobile app and an indoor location system, which is installed in public transport vehicles. This system determines the exact position of devices within the vehicle using Bluetooth. A help button can be used to send a distress call to public transport staff and all nearby passengers who also have the app installed. When the distress call is sent, the location system determines the victim’s exact position and relays this information to the other devices. These devices then navigate to the people seeking help in order to rescue them from the situation and provide assistance.
Trigger warning.
The following video deals with sexual harassment.