City centre businesses pledge to do more on women's safety
Venues such as bars and clubs are being asked to sign a 'Women's Night-time Safety Charter'
Last updated 23rd Sep 2022
Businesses across Manchester city centre are being urged to pledge to do more to improve women's safety in the heart of the city.
Venues such as bars, clubs and restaurants - as well as other firms like gyms that operate at night-time- are being encouraged to commit to taking action on the issue.
The 'Women’s Night-time Safety Charter' has been implemented by Manchester City Council and will set out how organisations can prioritise the safety of women – both employees and customers – in Manchester at night.
Businesses who sign up will be asked to pledge their support for seven commitments:
- Appoint a Champion - Nominate a champion in your organisation who actively promotes women’s night safety.
- Communicate - Demonstrate to staff and customers that your organisation takes women’s safety at night seriously, for example through a communications campaign.
- Support your staff - Remind customers and staff that Manchester is safe, but tell them what to do if they experience harassment when working, going out or travelling.
- Support the public - Encourage reporting by victims and bystanders as part of your communications campaign.
- Training and responding - Train staff to ensure that all women who report are believed.
- Training: recording - Train staff to ensure that all reports are recorded and responded to.
- Design: Designing space for safety
It's hoped the steps will help businesses prevent the harassment of women as well as change the culture around the well-being of female staff and customers in venues.
So far, more than 40 businesses have come forward to support the implementation of the charter and have pledged their support.
'Help make Manchester the safest city in the country'
Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council said: "When I became the Leader of the city of Manchester, I pledged to put the women and girls at the heart of what we do to make Manchester a fairer and safer city.
Over the last nine months, there has been additional investment in tackling misogyny and violence, and this is a great example of the practical steps we are taking.
“It is incredibly important that we do everything in our power to ensure that women can feel safe in Manchester. We have a well-justified reputation for an outstanding night-time economy, but that accolade must be earned.
“The Night-time Safety charter is a call to collective action for any organisation that works, resides, designs or delivers services in our city. So, join us and make a Manchester-wide push to help make Manchester the safest, most welcoming city in the country.”