However, he reappeared when Molly pulled over for a rest and a drink.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a bit of a language barrier, but he seemed friendly, so I let him try talk to me,\u201d she recalled in a video shared online.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut then it quickly turned uncomfortable and he asked where I was staying, and I knew where it was going.\u201d<\/p>\n
The man was filmed asking the Kiwi for sex, to which she repeatedly declined, before indecently exposing himself and masturbating in front of her as she drove away at speed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t believe that happened. I chose such a beautiful place, but when I finally feel safe and then something like that happens, now I\u2019m just going to be on edge for the rest of my trip,\u201d Molly said in the video.<\/p>\n
The 24-year-old Christchurch woman filmed the ordeal while travelling solo around Sri Lanka. Photo \/ Anton Lecock, Unsplash<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to let it ruin my trip, but it\u2019s knocked my confidence back a little bit … It\u2019s the price you pay for being a solo female. Shouldn\u2019t be, but unfortunately that\u2019s the reality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Local police have since confirmed the man has been arrested.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was quite surprised. I didn\u2019t think I would get the response I have got,\u201d Molly, now in the Phillippines, told the Herald.<\/p>\n
The 24-year-old said the incident won\u2019t stop her exploring the world on her own. Photo \/ @molsgonewild<\/p>\n
\u201c[Police] responded within 24 hours, and they\u2019ve given me updated daily … I\u2019m glad that he knows that his actions are wrong and he shouldn\u2019t have done that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly caught up with friends she had met while travelling a few days on from the ordeal, but finished much of the three weeks left of the trip by herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt hasn\u2019t changed how I approach solo travel. I\u2019m very well prepared for these things, and I think women in general are taught how to deal with things like this from a young age.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know how to handle unwanted attention from men. That\u2019s just something as a female you learn to do, and it\u2019s no different doing that travelling versus being at home, because I\u2019ve been sexually harassed in New Zealand.\u201d<\/p>\n
The video has been recirculated by several news outlets since Molly posted it to highlight the experience for others, yet many commentators have solely blamed her for choosing to solo travel the island country.<\/p>\n
Hong Kong-Canadian conservative commentator Lauren Chen, responded to Molly\u2019s video on X, writing: \u201cMa\u2019am. You\u2019re alone in Sri Lanka. Why were you not on edge before??? I say again, white liberal women have no survival skills.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly said such rhetoric from people like Chen \u201cinfuriates\u201d her and reinforces a victim-blaming narrative.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe world is a much safer place than what people think it is. And I think people who haven\u2019t travelled tend to have that opinion that the whole world is dangerous and countries like Sri Lanka shouldn\u2019t even be travelled to. And it\u2019s so, so far from the truth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWomen make up half the population, and if they want to go on holiday by themselves, they should be very entitled to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
While some places were understandably riskier than others, Molly said every individual had the agency to take on those challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd yeah, I am game to face those challenges. I think the experiences that I get from travelling outweigh the one or two bad experiences I might have in a single place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tom Rose is an Auckland-based journalist who covers breaking news, specialising in lifestyle, entertainment and travel. He joined the Herald in 2023.<\/p>\n