Bájale al Acoso — Free SMS Harassment Reporting on Quito's Public Transport

Bájale al Acoso ('Cut the Harassment') is a free SMS reporting system for sexual harassment on Quito's public transport, launched in March 2017 by the Municipal Patronato San José (the city's social-welfare agency) with UN Women, as part of UN Women's global Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces programme — the same flagship initiative also implemented in Cairo, New Delhi, Kigali and Port Moresby.

A victim or witness sends the word 'ACOSO' and the vehicle's unit number, free of charge, to the short code 6367. The system, first deployed across 120 units of the metropolitan bus network, has since reached close to 100% of Quito's public transport fleet and roughly 80% of private operators. Reports trigger a response from a multidisciplinary team covering legal, psychological, security and social-work support.

By the most recent published figures, the platform had received more than 2,700 reports of sexual violence, of which 43 cases were escalated to the Prosecutor-General's office, resulting in 10 convictions with sentences of 12–36 months. The programme was still active and being expanded as of an April 2025 UN Women Ecuador update, indicating multi-year continuity rather than a one-off pilot.

Read the full analysis: https://ecuador.unwomen.org/es/que-hacemos/poner-fin-a-la-violencia-contra-las-mujeres-y-las-ninas/programa-ciudades-seguras/quito