Harassment in IST airport.

Currently shaking, I am a mom traveling with her child alone. I was at the Burger King near the F1 gate when I got the notification that my flight was boarding so I hurried to the elevator. There was a man dressed in a suit, maybe an employee, who held the door open for me.

I said thanks and got inside and then he asked me if I’m English, I said I speak English and he forcefully started to hold my hand. Mind you I did not extend my hand to shake his hand he forcefully held it for the entire elevator ride and even commented on how cold it felt.

He only let go when we came to a floor with another man, obviously he felt scared and let go but prior to that I was clearly trying to to force my hand away.

I’m writing this to to ask you if there have been any similar things that have happened to anyone and while I know I could have done much more, in the moment I froze. I used so much hand sanitizer to cleanse my hand from that awful man and I even cried on the flight home.