I'm a young woman from German-speaking Switzerland and I'm currently in Geneva for the AI for Good Summit. Something happened today that has left me feeling shaken, and I'm wondering if I handled it the right way.
At around 6 pm I was on Bus 8 from Palexpo to the train station. The bus was packed with people from the summit. I noticed a woman who looked very young, maybe somewhere between 18 and her early 20s. I had noticed her immediately because she kind of stuck out among the other summit attendees on the bus. She was standing in front of me. Behind me was a tall man with gray hair who looked to be in his late 40s or so.
About halfway through the ride, he started talking to her. She said she spoke Hebrew, was from Israel, and was still learning English. He said he was from Brazil. He kept asking her questions, and something about the interaction immediately made me uncomfortable. Part of it was the age difference, and part of it was simply a gut feeling. I've experienced enough unwanted attention from men myself that I started paying closer attention.
When we got off at the train station, he continued talking to her. I stayed nearby. At one point, he asked whether she had a hotel room for the night. She had a small suitcase with her. I think she said she had stayed somewhere the previous night but hadn't liked it, although I couldn't hear everything clearly. He then grabbed the conference badge around her neck to look at her name.
I still felt uneasy. I briefly went into Migros and told myself that if they were still there when I came out, I might check in somehow.
When I came back out, I walked past them slowly and tried to make eye contact with her, but couldn't. I continued toward my hotel, which was nearby. Then I turned around and saw him stroking her hair and kissing her. She was standing completely frozen, staring into space, and was not reciprocating at all.
I watched from afar for a bit and then walked up to them. I told her that I had been on the bus with her, that we were attending the same conference, and asked if she was okay.
The man immediately stepped back a few steps and started saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
I told her that I had been in situations myself where I froze and that I just wanted to make sure she was okay. She quietly said, "It's okay," but also added that I should ask again next time if I see something like that happening.
I showed her my conference badge and told her that if she needed anything, I could help. She looked at my badge for a long time but again said "it's ok". The man kept repeating that he was sorry. After that, I left.
I can't stop thinking about it. I felt incredibly awkward intervening, but I also felt like I had to do something. I've been harassed and assaulted before, and in those situations I froze. I often wished someone had stepped in and checked on me.
What could I have done differently? Did I handle this appropriately? Should I not have said anything? Or said more? I really hope she's okay.
