Bristol businesses urged to sign Women's Safety Charter
The scheme asks companies in the night time economy to commit to doing more
Business across Bristol are being asked to do more to ensure women's safety, by signing up to a new Women's Safety Charter.
It has been launched by Bristol City Council alongside its promotional group for the night time economy Bristol Nights and is based on a similar scheme that has been running in London for several years.
Businesses like bars and clubs which sign up are asked to commit to several things, including putting a member of staff in charge of promoting safety for everyone and launching their own communications campaign promoting the scheme.
Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, said: “Too many women in our night-time economy have been subject to harassment or some form of threat.
"When a recent survey tells us that over nine in ten women have experienced harassment of some form at night, it’s clear that we need to act now.
"To act, we must do so collectively as public authorities and private businesses.
"Each of us has a responsibility to ensure that our environments promote safety, that we provide training and support to tackle harassment and establish clear routes for issues to be reported and challenged.
"I urge employers, large and small, to join us as we fight back against perpetrators and stand up for the safety of women at night.”
More than 30 percent of Bristol's jobs operate between the hours of 6pm and 6am across the health and social care, leisure, hospitality and cultural sectors.
As referred to by the Mayor, a national survey carried out last year showed 97 percent of the people surveyed had been harassed or had known someone who has been.
Meanwhile, a recent Bristol survey found that one in six venues said they have experienced harassment at their venue, with most venues choosing to use a zero-tolerance policy.
Of those venues 87 percent said they felt further training would benefit them.
Such training is already being rolled out across the city, alongside local communications campaigns and awareness activity that has been supported by £282,000 of funding from the Home Office’s Safety of Women at Night Fund.
Carly Heath, Bristol’s Night-Time Economy Advisor, said: “When we talk about safety of women after dark, all too often the responsibility falls on women’s actions.
"We all have a role and a responsibility in securing the safety of women at night.
"The problem of harassment in the night-time economy is too widespread for any single organisation or individual to tackle alone.
"We must take a joined-up approach across venues, public agencies, charities, and support services to challenge perpetrators, provide safer environments and protect women at night."
Marti Burgess, owner of Lakota Nightclub and Gardens says they take the safety of women very seriously.
"Despite our efforts and those of many other venues it’s clear that we need a collective effort across sectors to tackle the rise in harassment being seen in the sector," he said.
"This new charter and the training being rolled out is a welcome step and one that will help bring the right people and organisations together to improve the experience of the night-time economy for women.”
If you want to find out more about the charter you can do so here.