Sexual assault of women on commercial flights happens regularly, yet victims often receive minimal support from airline staff and there are few prosecutions of perpetrators. Allison Dvaladze, a graduate of UW's Department of Global Health Master of Public Health (MPH) program, was sexually assaulted on a Delta flight from Seattle to Amsterdam in 2016 and since then has mounted a one-woman campaign to bring attention to what she soon realized is a recurring problem, and to push for some way to address it.
"Given the number of UW students, staff and faculty that travel for work and education, I would like to see this issue considered by the UW Office of Global Affairs and noted in materials or orientation programs. Numerous women have reached out to tell me they were assaulted as young women traveling for a study abroad program. We tend to focus on safety once you get to your destination and leave out the "getting there" part. Not that I want to scare people, but I think they should be aware," said Allison.
Currently she is pushing for more action to address the issue, including establishing a standard method for reporting and collecting data on sexual harassment/assault on planes; standard protocols for responding to and reporting sexual assault on a plane; training for air crews on how to appropriately handle sexual assault and how to respond to the victim, not only managing the perpetrator (that differs from responding to a disruptive passenger); and a clear “zero tolerance” statement in a pre-flight video and back of the seat safety card along with guidance on what passengers should do in the event their safety and security, or that of a fellow passenger, is jeopardized by another.
Allison thanks UW's Julie Gralow, Deepa Rao, and Ben Anderson for their continued support and encouragement, and Aaron Katz for his policy development and advocacy for global health class, which provided Allison with the tools to pursue this issue and her global advocacy work on breast cancer. She also recognizes Senator Patty Murray and her staff for their dedication to introduce the SAFE Act.
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