Angela Philipps, Gleaner Writer

There is little that is more frightening than having an encounter with a sexual deviant when you're a woman on your own. It's not something that any of us comes across often, but when it does happen, it can leave a scarring image in one's mind for a long time.

I was recently travelling on a plane to another part of the Caribbean. I was seated by the window, with another woman by the aisle for the first leg of our journey; the middle was taken by a young man for the remainder of the flight.

Halfway between his port of embarkation and the next stop, while I was typing on the same computer I use now, the fellow started edging closer to the armrest that we shared. I had a quick look and it seemed as if he had his hand in his pants, but his shirt was covering it all, so I was not sure.

I continued composing another article for the next five minutes, knowing that something was just not right. He was making strange noises and then I realised that, yes indeed, he was masturbating.

I was mortified and blurted out, "What do you think you're doing?" He sheepishly asked me what I meant. I continued, "Look here, I am not an idiot. I know full well what you're up to and it's disgraceful to be doing this in a public place, let alone seated between two women."

Man removed

I pressed the call button and within seconds a stewardess was hovering over us all. At this stage, I was shaking and my voice was quivering with emotion to form my words. I related what the man had been up to, and she pulled him out of his chair and placed him at the back of the cabin. At this point, I broke into sobs while I explained to a very caring team of flight attendants what had occurred. Thinking about it now still brings tears to my eyes and disgust to my soul.

There is nothing wrong with exploring whatever sexual acts you like when you are in private, but there is absolutely no excuse for carrying out these acts in the public domain. Horrified and dirty would best describe how it made me feel, and still does. This has made me think about how awful rape must be, and the precarious position in which single women can be. I am not saying that those who are in relationships are not at risk, but you're more likely to be with your partner when you go out, or travel and, therefore, less likely to be in a position where this can happen.

Profanity in a plane

The man on my flight had the gall to perform profanity in a plane full of people, so what would he be capable of and willing to do if it were just he and I alone in a room? I dread to think. You know, I almost forgot, but after he'd boarded the plane and sat down, he proceeded to ask the girl on his left where she lived, down to the exact area of town. I remember being a little surprised by this, especially at her naïvety in answering him.

We hear about paedophiles and perverts in First-World countries, and so, when we come across them in our small-island worlds, it's rather startling. The truth is, many, if not most, incidents are going unreported. When telling my story to some girlfriends, they all said that they probably would not have said anything. They commended me for having the guts to speak up. Are you kidding me? Ladies, it is up to us to report any incident of perversion and violence for that matter. We must not feel so intimidated that we keep our mouths shut. Lord knows we are game to give our opinions at the most unimportant of times! This is exactly when we should be speaking out!

Angelaphilippsja@hotmail.com