Jess Evans, Liverpool Socialist Party
Around pubs and bars, there are often posters for a scheme known as ‘Ask for Angela’. It is there so customers who feel unsafe can go up to the bar, ask for Angela, and be taken out of the situation by staff. If it functioned, it could be a crucial part of making nights out safer for women. However, undercover BBC journalists found that, when asked, over half the venues they visited in London did not even know the codeword, despite displaying posters for the scheme. Big pub chains such as JD Wetherspoon and Greene King were among those who failed.
This is a scary finding. Many women may have decided where to go on a night out based on the scheme, but how many have needed help and failed to get it? Staff failing to have the training put women at risk. But this is part of a broader problem. In a survey, 54% of female students said they had experienced sexual harassment on a night out. In cases of spiking, women make up around 74% of victims. And instances of sexual assault in bars and clubs are at an all-time high. It is clear the night-time economy is not safe for women, so too in many other areas of life.
Bars and clubs are cutting costs. Fewer staff, including bouncers and security, means fewer eyes open to the risks in clubs. Pink washing is also an issue, whereby businesses appear sympathetic to women’s issues and signup to schemes like ‘Ask for Angela’ as lip-service.
But schemes to improve women’s safety need to be given full attention. Councils could enforce compliance by making venue licensing dependent on implementing women’s safety measures and fund training for staff, for example. Committees of working-class and young women, elected from the trade unions and community organisations, could be given responsibility for administering the schemes and carrying out inspections. Other services such as night time public transport need real investment, with increased frequency, as well as improved safety too.
For women to be able to enjoy our right to a safe night out, we need properly enforced and resourced schemes to improve our safety. We also need to fight against sexist and misogynistic ideas and attitudes in society, and to fight for socialist change.
