Authorities in Peru are deliberating over plans to put a put a halt to sexual harassment on the country's buses and trains. Groping on public transport is a particular problem in the country's capital, Lima, where buses and trains are often full well beyond capacity, offering sexual deviants an opportunity to strike.

The offence hit the Peruvian headlines back in June when actress Magaly Solier, who was travelling to a radio interview by bus discovered a man masturbating behind her. What was to be a light-hearted chat about her career in film turned into a denouncement of what she had just witnessed and led to a debate on attitudes towards women in the South American country.

Police have responded and propose employing a task force of women who will be deployed on Lima's transport system to lure would be offenders. In a similar initiative in Colombia's capital, Bogota, a team of female police, now known as the 'Angels of the TransMilenio', have so far arrested 129 men this year.

In another sign of progress, Peru's Council of Ministers has approved a bill that would make street harassment a criminal offence. The proposed legislation was announced by new Prime Minister, Ana Maria Jara on August 6th. Under the bill, harassment is defined as “any action or comment between strangers in public places that is disrespectful, unwelcome, threatening and/or harassing and is motivated by gender, sexual orientation or gender expression.”

While the Peruvian government's initiative is commendable, the country’s populace might take some convincing. The Peru Institute of Public Opinion found that 77% of men and 74% of women believed that “women who dress provocatively expose themselves to a lack of respect in the streets.”

According to NGO Movimiento Manuela Ramos, 84.6% of women in Lima have been harassed.

Of course groping is not the preserve of just the Peruvian pervert. Though most men do not grope women, at least I hope they don’t, most women will have at least one or two stories of being touched inappropriately.

Bars and nightclubs are of course (sadly) obvious places. In London an anti-harassment group called Hollaback London (there is one in Dublin http://dublin.ihollaback.org/) has started a campaign with participating venues and bars called Good Night Out to highlight groping and other harassment at gigs and in nightspots across the British capital.

In recent years even plane passengers have fallen victim to the roving hands of seedy gropers.

Last weekend a man was arrested at Newark Airport in the United States after putting his hand on a fellow passenger’s breast as she slept beside him. The man in question was flying from Tokyo and was on his way to Cornell University where he is a visiting scholar.

In another case last October a 45-year-old off-duty pilot was charged with putting his hand on the posterior of a 14-year-old girl he was sitting beside. She too was asleep and told police that when she woke she found his hand “far enough under her buttocks that his fingers were touching her inner thigh”.

Shiver inducing.

It remains to be seen if the Peruvian police proposal goes ahead. If the Colombian example is anything to go by it might not be a bad idea at all. Other countries (and let us know if Ireland should be included) could do worse than keep an eye on how things develop.

You can follow Jonathan  on Twitter here: @deburcabutler.