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Following a string of sexual assaults committed on lone women traveling aboard or waiting for angkot public minivans in the capital, Jakarta Police are advising that women carry protective equipment such as pepper spray and electroshock weapons.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said on Monday that pepper spray and electroshock weapons were effective tools to prevent street crime.

Women’s Empowerment Minister Linda Agum Gumelar, speaking on Tuesday, agreed with the comments.

However, Linda said the biggest overriding concern was that society needed to be more caring and help to protect each other.

Men needed to respect women and not perceive them as objects, she said.

She also rejected suggestions that a number of victims had been raped because they had dressed provocatively.

“I met with two rape victims and they weren’t dressed seductively,” she said, “so don’t blame these women as if they are the ones who flirted and attracted the men. Flirting is relative.”

In the latest shocking attack, a teenager reported that she was knocked unconscious and raped while waiting for an angkot on Friday.

The 18-year-old college student, identified as J.M., told police the attack occurred at about 9 p.m. in South Jakarta.

She said that she had been on her way to visit a friend in Ciputat. She left Ciledug aboard an angkot on the C-01 route, and alighted near the railway tracks in Kebayoran Lama in order to switch to a D-01 route angkot headed to Ciputat.

While she was waiting, she noticed a group of five men nearby watching her.

She said the men began to make lewd comments and verbally harass her. When she moved away, she told the police, the men followed.

According to the police, J.M. became frightened and ran away from the men, who gave chase.

“The victim ran to the rail track, but she was hit by one of the men and knocked unconscious,” Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said on Monday.

“According to her, she woke up the next morning with the zipper on her pants undone,” Rikwanto said. He added that J.M. had discovered a substance on her stomach that she believed to be semen.

“Then she reported the crime and went for medical tests. From the medical test results, we can conclude there has been a rape,” he said.

Rikwanto said the police were investigating the scene of the assault for evidence.

He said that J.M. was still in shock and had thus far been unable to provide physical descriptions of the men.

“The investigation is still ongoing. Police have interviewed six witnesses, including the victim’s friend who accompanied her when she reported the crime,” he said. “The victim’s psychological condition is still fragile. She’s in shock. So, we’re not done yet. We have not yet been able to work with the victim to create a sketch of the perpetrators’ faces.”

Rikwanto added that officers had combed the area of the assault for clues.

He also urged women, especially those traveling alone and at night, to be aware of their surroundings and carry items for self-defense.

“There are some of us, including women, who protect themselves with a stun gun or pepper spray. Stun guns require registration, but pepper spray is permitted,” Rikwanto said.