Ever since the launch of the #MeToo movement last year, people have been opening up about sexual assault and harassment like never before. So, when one writer recently challenged the notion that men grope women on public transport, many were quick to come forward and prove them wrong.

The comments came after an opinion piece, published in this week’s The Sydney Morning Herald, detailed one woman’s experiences of being sexually assaulted on public transport in Sydney, inspiring her to design the the Free To Be Sydney city safety map.

“Every time I get onto a crowded train I stand with my back to the wall because this is the best way that I have found to ward off men who grope,” said Alice Rummery in the piece.

However, Claire Lehmann - the founder and editor of QuilletteM - was quick to criticise the article on Twitter, insisting that the claims within it were “straight-up fantasy”.

“Men don’t grope on Australian trains,” she said.

The powerful reason why women in Australia are sharing their sexual assault stories on Twitter