'This is not the first time': Mediacorp actress Gini Chang claims sexual harassment on bus
Was it accidental or deliberate?
Mediacorp actress and television host Gini Chang has claimed she was touched inappropriately twice while commuting on a bus, by a man who was initially sitting across from her.
The 31-year-old said that she was "very angry" as she recounted the incident, explaining that the man moved to sit beside her and touched her not once, but twice.
"These people, if you do not control your hands or your mind, will face the music for what you've done sooner or later," Chang warned in Chinese in an Instagram post.
Captioned "Feeling angry and powerless Remember to take care of yourself~" in Chinese, the clip posted on Nov 7 had garnered over 36,800 views, 1,199 reactions and 70 comments at press time.
'You must believe your own intuition'
"He put his hand at the side of his body and grabbed the edge of the seat. At that time, I could feel his arm was touching my thigh," Chang recounted.
She initially questioned herself, wondering if she was simply seated too close to the man. "After all, I didn't want to be too sensitive, (but) his hand stayed there for a while."
Then it happened again, confirming to Chang that it was deliberate.
"Normal people would move their hands away if they really touched the other by accident," she added.
By then, Chang was certain the man had acted on purpose, as he gave no apology before gathering his belongings and leaving. "In fact, he was just testing would I resist, if I was an easy target."
Chang also encouraged women to trust their intuition in such situations. "No matter what you wear or where you are, it's not your fault."
'Report police?': Netizen
Most netizens expressed sympathy for Gini, saying that they were sorry for what she experienced. Others shared similar experiences and offered tips, such as saying out loud, "Excuse me, you are touching me" to stop the unwanted behaviour.
"Nowadays there are so many weird people," one user commented, while another added: "Hope the culprit is caught and punished."
Others encouraged Chang to make a police report, noting that with the man's description and the timing of his alighting, authorities might be able to track him down.
But some made light of the incident. "If he was in Korea, those Korean girls would have taken their handbags, bish bish (hit) him, and called the police," one wrote.
