Tackling harassment in Torbay by training for bar staff
Shout-Up! bystander intervention training, funded by local council, aims to make bars, pubs and clubs free of sexual harassment.
Research suggests that 63% of women and 27% of men have experienced sexual harassment while on a night out. Of course, everyone should feel safe while out for the evening, without pressure or harassment. Venues also have a duty of care to their patrons and staff. What’s more, if venues are known as predatory environments, people are less likely to spend time and money there.
Photo by Aleksandr Popov
Over the past few months, Torbay Council in Devon has taken proactive steps to tackle this issue. Funded through the council’s Safer Streets initiative, the Shout-Up! programme works with licensed premises in the night-time economy to improve safety in their venues through training, advice and support.
Staff are trained on how to intervene – safely – in cases of sexual harassment. Similar Shout-Up! Initiatives are running in Newcastle upon Tyne and in Northamptonshire. In Torbay, the training is delivered by experts from the charity Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services.
Since the Shout-Up! programme launched in Torbay in September, 210 staff in 18 bars, pubs, clubs and licensed venues across Torquay and Paignton have undergone the training. South Devon’s East Street Pub Group has certified all its venues in the region with 62 staff trained.
To receive this Shout-Up! certification, the premises must meet a range of criteria:
- All their staff must complete bystander intervention training delivered by Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services
- Venues must write and share sexual harassment policies protecting staff and patrons
- They must also have a publicly available procedure for dealing with incidents of sexual harassment
- They must commit to making their venue a sexual harassment-free zone
- They must display visible signage explaining their participation in the scheme and what patrons can expect to happen in the event of sexual harassment
- They must commit to undertake reviews every six months of policies, procedures and training
According to the council, research shows that 90% of people would feel safer or happier in a bar, pub or club where staff have undergone this Shout-Up! Training.
The training programme will continue across Torbay for the rest of the year and venues interested in joining can apply via the Shout-Up! website.
Courtney Ross, Manager at The Harbour Inn which has also received Shout-Up! certification, says: ‘We’re proud to be a Shout-Up! venue. We believe there should be a safe space for all, free from uncomfortable conversations, situations and discrimination.’
Cllr Hayley Tranter, Cabinet Member for Adult and Community Services, Public Health and Inequalities at Torbay Council, adds: ‘We’re proud of what we’ve achieved with the Torbay Shout-Up! programme in such a short timeframe – over 200 staff members trained in just six months shows the commitment of our licence holders to make nights out better and safer. I congratulate everyone who has participated and achieved their certification.’
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