A Hollaback London campaign that helps bars, clubs, venues and pubs tackle and prevent harassment.

The first ever London-wide campaign to end sexual harassment on nights out was launched recently, backed by some of London’s most high profile venues, including Ministry of Sound and fabric.

Posters informing patrons of zero-tolerance approach are now displayed in bars, clubs and venues across the city with staff resources provided by anti-harassment group Hollaback London.

Julia Gray, co-director of Hollaback London, the group behind the campaign, said; “Groping, bum-slapping, and sexually aggressive behaviour are all too common aspects of night outs in London.

“We started this campaign because so many women and LGTBQ people submit stories of harassment and even assault in clubs and pubs to our website; and these experiences are now so commonplace that they’re actually putting people off going out altogether.

“We’re challenging our nighttime economy to create safer nights out for all their customers.

“Taking on our up-front, coordinated approach means sending a public message that this behaviour won’t go unchallenged.

“We’re completely independent and are encouraging everyone to tweet their experiences on #goodnightout so we can ensure the pledge is put into practice.”

Endorsed by the End Violence Against Women Coalition and Everyday Sexism, ‘Good Night Out’ signatories already working closely with Hollaback London on their harassment policies include:

Vice-owned pub and venues The Old Blue Last and Birthdays; the University of London Union bar; fabric and Ministry of Sound;  Shoreditch arts venue Village Underground and The Alibi, Dalston Superstore, Dance Tunnel and the Shacklewell.

Kirsti Weir, from fabric, said; “We’ve always had a zero tolerance harassment policy and we’ve been working with Hollaback London to boost our patrons’ awareness of our commitment to stamping it out with our online campaign and highly visible posters.

“It’s great that the Good Night Out campaign as a collaborative effort across London and it’s something we fully support and endorse.”

Auro Foxcroft, director, Village Underground, said: “We’re supporting Hollaback London and the Good Night Out initiative because we want everyone from the many communities and audiences we work with to feel comfortable and safe from harassment and prejudice.”

Dan Beaumont, owner of Dalston Superstore and the recently opened Dance Tunnel, said: “We have worked hard over the years to ensure we’re welcoming in a gay-friendly crowd, so we already operate a zero-tolerance aggressive behaviour policy.

“Good Night Out and its message chime perfectly with this, so it’s great to see more venues taking this approach.”

And Sarah Green, from the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said; “This is a brilliant campaign by Hollaback London and we congratulate all the bars and clubs who have signed up for recognising the issues and taking a stand.

“We asked YouGov to survey London women in 2012 about their experiences of sexual harassment in public places and found that almost half of younger women had experienced it in the last year.

“Clubs and pubs have a critical role to play in making their spaces intolerant of this behaviour. We wish the campaign every success.”

Any business that is part of the nighttime economy is welcome to sign up for Good Night Out to receive a poster series and discuss staff resources and training. Get in touch via Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.

Everyone else is welcome to Tweet us your experiences @hollabackldn on the hashtag #goodnightout