The European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) released today the first results of its new survey on violence and harassment against women in the transport sector. The findings reveal an alarming reality: nearly three out of four women transport workers (74%) reported having experienced violence or harassment in their current workplace.
The survey, conducted between May and September 2025 in 12 languages, gathered responses from 1,071 women across multiple transport sectors – including rail, aviation, urban public transport, road, maritime, logistics, inland waterways, fisheries, and dock work. Participants came from 24 European countries, as well as from beyond Europe.
The results show that violence against women transport workers is both widespread and systemic. Among the 772 women who disclosed the frequency of abuse:
- 7% experienced it daily;
- 17% several times a week;
- 7% once a week;
- 45% several times a month.
While third-party violence from passengers and service users was most common (56%), a shocking 41% of incidents involved colleagues, managers, or supervisors. Types of abuse included verbal harassment, threats, intimidation, sexual harassment, spitting, and cyber violence.
ETF General Secretary Livia Spera stressed:
“These figures expose the harsh reality for women transport workers across Europe. Violence and harassment are not isolated incidents. They are a structural problem in our industry. It is the employers’ responsibility to guarantee safe workplaces free from any form of violence.”
The results will be formally presented tomorrow, 30 September, at the ETF Women’s Committee seminar “Transporting Respect – Combatting Gender-Based Violence at Work” in Amsterdam. The event will feature testimonies from women workers in rail, aviation, road, urban transport, and dock work, with speakers from across Europe.
Keynote speaker Vera Gheno, sociolinguist and expert on gender and language, will highlight the role of words in shaping social change. The seminar will also bring together trade unions, policymakers, and EU institutions in a roundtable on how to deliver real change through campaigns, negotiations, and political action.
The ETF and its affiliates remain committed to building a transport sector free from violence, where all workers – regardless of gender – enjoy respect, safety, and equality.
