“Our campaign is a strong message that harassment and racist behavior are not appropriate or allowed on public transport. With this campaign, we want to encourage public transport passengers to act as everyday peacekeepers,” says HSL’s acting Executive Director Vesa Silfver.
Helsinki region public transport is for everyone, and we can be particularly proud of the large number of journeys made on our services every day. But we also want to provide a safe and harassment-free space for both public transport passengers and staff. This is one of the commitments we made last year in the ‘Action, not only words’ campaign of the Finnish Prime Minister’s Office. Harassment and racism won’t disappear if we stop talking about them,” Vesa Silfver continues.
Action, not only words campaign site
If you witness harassment, you can intervene by showing that the target of harassment is not alone or calling for help. The concise instructions for addressing harassment situations have three main points: act, support, and report. HSL encourages those who witness or experience harassment to reach out to the driver or security guard without hesitation, contact the security control room, and report the incident to HSL.