Trans Woman was Sexually Harassed in Baku

Karmen, a 19-year-old trans woman, was sexually harassed on August 11 in the Baku metro.

According to the victim, the metro was busy, so she decided to get on the next one after leaving several trains. Right after getting on the train, a man grabbed her arm and apologised, then began rubbing his genitals on her. Karmen, who resisted, the man pulled her towards him by grabbing her waist this time and continued to rub his penis on her.

“I panicked because I had a psychological shock at that moment, I couldn’t ask anyone for help,” said Karmen. “As soon as the doors opened at the next stop, I threw myself onto the platform and walked away without looking at the man’s face. It was disgusting, I felt nauseous,” she added.

“I left the metro and went to my friends. I told them what happened. They explained to me that it was wrong. You would raise your voice and ask for help. And I couldn’t think what to do because I was frozen.”

Around 10:00 p.m, Karmen was again assaulted by another man whilst waiting for a bus near the 20 Yanvar metro station. An unknown person followed her and offered her sex. “Seeing that the bus did not come, I asked if bus number 92 passes here. I waited at the bus station for a while, and since the bus didn’t come, I decided to walk. I felt that someone was following me while I was walking,” said Karmen.

According to the victim, the person who followed her ran up to her and asked her how to go to Bilajari. Later, saying “you have the beauty of a girl”, he offered to “feel his genital organ in my mouth” and continuously repeated these phrases along the way. After walking for a while, the victim finally got rid of that person and managed to lose the track.