Uber has moved to partner with the D.C. Rape Crisis Center to hold classes for educating bartenders and bouncers of the city on how to tell when there is a sign of a potential sexual assault in their work places and what to do about it.
The classes are led by Indira Henard, Executive Director of the D.C. Rape Crisis Center.
“This is a great opportunity for everybody to come together and learn what is sexual violence, how to help someone who may be in a difficult situation and also learn strategies for intervening that’s safe for everyone,” Henard said, speaking to WUSA9.
She added that a large portion of drug-facilitated rape cases involve alcohol.
Uber recently published a report that revealed over 3,000 sexual assaults occurred on its riders around the country in 2018.
The report also indicated that the company received 235 reports of rape during its U.S. rides in 2018, which means four reported incidents on average every week. The figure was 229 for rape allegations made in 2017.
“Voluntarily publishing a report that discusses these difficult safety issues is not easy,” Tony West, chief legal officer at Uber, was quoted as saying in the report.
In recent years, Uber has faced an increasing number of lawsuits over sexual misconduct between riders and drivers, as well as its rivals in the ridesharing industry such as Lyft.