Partying safe this summer
In the lead-up to summer, preventing sexual assault is again a priority for Wellington clubs and bars.
Don’t Guess The Yes – a social media campaign asking young people, particularly men, to think about consent, especially while drinking – is back in the spotlight.
Matthew Mclaughlin, as well as directing a hospitality group that runs four Wellington nightlife venues, is the president of the Wellington branch of industry trade association Hospitality NZ, which has 3000 members nationwide.
He said Don’t Guess The Yes campaign was an effort ‘‘to change people’s behaviour, get people to make better decisions around sexual consent and alcohol consumption’’.
The campaign was launched for the festive season in late November and is supported by the Sexual Assault Prevention Network and both major Wellington universities’ students associations.
As part of the campaign, roughly 200 security and bar staff at Wellington nightlife venues voluntarily attended two sexual assault safety training programmes at Jack Hackett’s, run by Hospitality NZ and Wellington police officers.
Mclaughlin said the training included picking up on signs that a patron was uncomfortable or in a vulnerable position.
Training included the ‘‘Ask for Angela’’ safety measure, an initiative started by police in England. In 2016, posters were put up in the toilets of Lincolnshire venues encouraging people to ask staff for Angela if they felt uncomfortable on a date and wanted help to discreetly defuse a situation.
Detective Sergeant Ben Quinn, the officer in charge of the Don’t Guess The Yes campaign, said consent meant consent from someone sober enough to give it.
‘‘It means asking them questions like, Is this OK? Shall we do this? Should we keep going? It means respecting your partner if the answer is no.’’ Come along for the capital’s longest-running open-mic comedy night. These regular Monday sessions will be wrapping up for the year soon, so make sure to drop by The Fringe Bar, 26 Allen St tonight, 8pm to 9.45pm. Tickets $8 general admission or $10 on the door. MC Savanna Calton.
JOY IS . . . CHRISTMAS
Joy is . . . at Capital E! Come celebrate with us in the Dream House. Designed by children and built by BCITO apprentices, the Dream House features a slide, turrets, furry and glittery walls, and a floor made from lava. Today from 9.30am at Capital E, 4 Queens Wharf. Free admission.
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