Here are two examples of bids that gained money from the Home Office’s £5m Safety of Women at Night Fund.
Bristol has been awarded £282,000. Carly Heath, Bristol Night-Time Economy Advisor, said: “This funding is a very welcome endorsement of our commitment to improving the safety of women at night. It is also a reminder that women’s safety can only be improved by taking action to improve the conditions in which women experience the night-time economy. Our bid was based on the knowledge that many crimes against women at night go unreported but widely witnessed.
“These crimes are being committed against all women at night, whether they work at night or are visitors to the city’s night-time economy. Recent survey results show that 97 per cent of respondents had witnessed a woman being harassed but most did not acknowledge it as harassment, with painfully few reporting what they’d seen. The need for education and courage to identify and call out criminal behaviour is why we have taken this approach.
“Our Bristol Rules campaign is already setting out the behavioural expectations we have to ensure women can experience the night-time economy free from risk. We’re working with venues to ensure staff and those who support them are more aware of the signs of harassment and also know what to do when they receive a complaint about drink spiking.
“We’ve supplied venues with kits to test drinks and are working with partners in the police to have clear guidance on how to report and handle claims. This money will build on this work and take our efforts to another level as we seek to fight back against the perpetrators of these cowardly crimes.”
Funding has been split into six streams, notably: £173,000 aimed at tackling sexual harassment, including training for venues on how to deal with and tackle incidents of such harassment; £20,000 to provide testing kits and support police education and training; and £31,000 to develop a Bristol Women’s Safety Charter, like one in London. Separately, the Metropolitan Police recently released its violence against women and girls (VAWG) plan.
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority, working with local Community Safety Partnerships, West Yorkshire Police and local groups has been awarded £215,000. Proposed ‘interventions’ between January and March 2022 include a bus safety reporting tool, a male behaviour change campaign focusing on the night-time economy, active upstander training for night-time economy staff, and a regional ‘Ask for Angela’ campaign.
Also planned are local projects in Halifax, Huddersfield, Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds involving taxi marshals, women’s safety hubs, street marshals, the development of a Pub Watch scheme and taxi standards work.
Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin said: “This is absolutely marvellous news and a real coup for partnership working within West Yorkshire. It brings ever more focus upon the issue of safety for women and girls, with some truly tangible results.
“It will make a genuine difference to local people, supporting and improving experiences of women and girls on our public transport network. This will work alongside the Safer Streets Funding we’ve received, which will improve women and girls’ safety in parks and across educational institutions.
“This mean’s we’ve been able to commit £870,000 to support our communities and businesses on this important pledge in my first six months as Mayor.”
Comment
The Fund is part of official efforts to answer women’s unease about high-profile crimes against women; and reported cases of women being spiked by needle at night clubs. Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, said: “The reports of this vile act are terrifying – and yet another example of the appalling violence faced by women and girls, day in day out.
“This awful crime needs to be clamped down on without delay. That must involve bringing together the police, venues, universities and – crucially – listening to women who have been attacked. The Home Secretary should deliver action without delay, to help prevent this happening again, bring those responsible justice and ensure they face the full force of the law.”
Pictured: Bristol city centre bus top deck.
