Indonesian authorities are cracking down on perpetrators of sexual violence on the country's trains after a spike in reports of women being harassed on public transport.
State-owned company Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), which operates urban commuter trains in Jakarta and other major cities, will slap lifetime bans on those found to have sexually harassed other passengers.
KAI Commuter official Joni Martinus said the company had "no tolerance for any criminal acts … especially sexual harassment".
"In order to prevent sexual harassment crimes from occurring, we are taking firm action: namely by blocking and prohibiting perpetrators from using commuter line trains forever.
"KAI Commuter is committed to protecting the safety and comfort of its users," he said.
The blacklist will be enforced with the help of hundreds of newly installed CCTV cameras across stations in cities such as Jakarta, Surabaya and Bandung, the company said.
There were 30 perpetrators of sexual harassment caught on the train network between January and August, and about a dozen more cases reported on social media, KAI Commuter said.
The company already operates women's only carriages on commuter lines and has flagged increasing the number on urban routes.
Four out of five Indonesian women reported having experienced sexual harassment in public, including on public transport, in a December 2021 survey of 4,236 people conducted by the Coalition for Safe Public Spaces.
KAI, which also operates intercity trains across Java, said it hopes the new measures mean victims would be encouraged to come forward.
Eni Puji Utami from the Civil Society Network Against Sexual Violence said the new rules had her "full support".
"Sanctions like this really help to provide a deterrent for perpetrators and create a space that's safe," she said.
"It means we can trust trains and public transport are safe, and choose those modes instead of private transport."
Indonesia's National Commission on Violence Against Women also welcomed the action taken by KAI.
"From our records, there are around 15 reports received every day regarding sexual harassment," said commissioner Veryanto Sitohang, as quoted by the Antara news agency.
"It is hoped the whole community will be more comfortable on public transportation," he said.
Some 371.5 million passengers used trains across Indonesia in 2023, according to the country's official statistics agency.
Ms Utami said while she had some doubts about enforcement, KAI's new rules would also help its staff understand the perspective of victims which was lacking in other institutions such as the police.
"It means our friends that work in public transport have an understanding of gender, which is good."
