In Bus: Encoxada

Peru was one of the first countries to criminalize frotamiento sexual (sexual rubbing) explicitly. An encoxada can lead to preventative detention for the perpetrator. The law recognizes that the friction does not need to involve genital exposure; it is the that constitutes the crime.

Following the "Viajemos Seguras" (Let's Travel Safe) program, an encoxada is specifically categorized as . Since 2021, perpetrators face 3–8 years in prison if the victim is a minor or if the act occurs on a bus or metro. Mexico City has dedicated women-only buses ( Autobuses rosas ) as a direct response to the frequency of encoxadas . encoxada in bus

The encoxada is more than a gross inconvenience. It is a tool of systemic gender-based violence designed to force women and vulnerable individuals out of public transit and, by extension, out of public life. When we allow the encoxada to go unnamed and unreported, we concede the bus to the predator. Peru was one of the first countries to

Victims often describe the experience as "imprisonment in a crowd." You cannot see the face of the person behind you. You cannot move your arms freely. And the bystanders are centimeters away, completely oblivious. The encoxada is more than a gross inconvenience

To effectively combat encoxada in bus , one must understand the predator's pathology. According to urban criminologists, the bus offers three unique benefits to the encoxador (the person committing the act):

Using Lefebvre’s production of space and Foucault’s heterotopia , the paper analyzes the bus as a unique carceral-spatial paradox: hyper-visible yet anonymous. Key factors:

Comparative legal analysis reveals a chasm. In Brazil, Article 215-A of the Penal Code (sexual harassment) requires “libidinous act” with intent. Encoxada often fails to meet this standard because: