Pubs brew up
CAMPAIGN HELPS STAFF SPOT SIGNS TO KEEP WOMEN SAFE
Crime Reporter BAR staff are being trained to spot the signs of sexual harassment and violence to help keep women safe on nights out.
Safe Newcastle have teamed up with Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland to launch a new campaign to raise awareness of the issue in venues across the city.
The initiative, entitled Shout Up! will launch this Saturday.
The charity will work with venues to train staff, raise public awareness and create safer places for all.
Bystander intervention will be a key focus, making venues and revellers collectively responsible for women’s safety by recognising sexually aggressive behaviour.
Recent research shows punters spend more money in bars that adopt a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and create safer environments for patrons.
The campaign objectives are to:
Support victims to report sexual violence or harassment and make it the responsibility of everyone;
Heighten awareness of sexual violence, with the hope that it can be prevented;
Encourage revellers to consider their moral responsibility and approach to harassment; and,
Encourage venues and patrons to understand the impact of sexual violence and harassment on patrons, the venue and the wider night-time economy.
Shout Up! will cover Ouseburn, Newcastle city centre, Jesmond and Gosforth.
Staff at each participating venue will get free training by experts from Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland which will equip them with the skills to intervene, listen and support vulnerable customers.
Eight venues have been invited to be part of the initial phase launching in time for the festive season.
They are The Cluny, The Cumberland Arms, The Ship Inn, Tyne Bank Brewery, The Tyne Bar, Ernest, The Tanners Arms and Kiln.
Dawn Bowman, from Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland said: “We’re hugely encouraged by the support our ambassador venues have already shown in embracing Shout-Up!
“It’s important for us all that our bars, pubs and clubs are safe for everyone, men and women, to attend, enjoy and be merry.
“But the fact remains, that one in four women will experience sexual violence, and therefore there is always more work to be done.
“The fact that well-known venues in Newcastle recognise this and are striving to be better is a testament to the proprietors of those venues.