This week marks the certification of an additional seven licensed establishments in Torbay with the Shout-Up! accolade, in light of findings that indicate 73% of women and 36% of men have encountered sexual harassment during evenings out in Devon.
The Torbay Council’s Shout-Up! initiative, aimed at eradicating sexual harassment within bars, pubs, clubs, and other licensed premises, proudly announced the accreditation of another set of establishments this week, elevating the total number of participants in the programme to fifteen.
The issuance of the latest certifications coincides with the disclosure of a Shout-Up! survey conducted this month, which unveiled that nearly three in four women have been subjected to sexual harassment on Devon’s nightlife scene, with 68% of individuals witnessing such incidents.
Eunice Godinho, the Assistant Manager at the newly accredited Otto, shared, “Everyone deserves to be able to go on a night out and enjoy themselves without feeling unsafe. With enough people taking on this mindset now, it won’t just be us the venues that benefit, but everyone, especially the younger generations that have yet to experience their first night out, and shouldn’t be experiencing any kind of harassment.”
To attain Shout-Up! certification, venues are required to fulfil various criteria, including:
- have all staff complete Bystander Intervention Training delivered by experts from Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services,
- write and share sexual harassment policies protecting staff and patrons,
- have a publicly available procedure for dealing with incidents of sexual harassment,
- commit to making their venue a sexual harassment-free zone,
- display visible signage explaining their participation in the scheme and what patrons can expect to happen in the event of sexual harassment,
- commit to undertake six-monthly reviews on policies, procedures and training to retain certification.
The most recent establishments to be awarded certification are Offshore Bar, Otto, Revolution, Soho, The Riviera International Centre, Twenty1, and VIVA.
The programme’s training and support are provided by a team from Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services, who are specialists in understanding the nuances of sexual harassment and offer personalised assistance to all certified venues to help them train new staff and uphold standards.
Mandy Barnes of Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services remarked, “Since we launched Shout-Up! in November 2023, more than 150 venue staff have received training, increasing their understanding of the issues and giving them the skills needed to intervene. Having visited many of these venues and spoken to their staff, I’ve been very impressed by their enthusiasm and commitment to making Torbay the best and safest night out.”
Scott McKenna, General Manager of VIVA located on Torquay harbour and a Shout-Up! certified venue, stated, “With workshops, training sessions, and advocacy Shout-Up! are supporting us to promote consent, boundaries and bystander intervention.
“We’re so glad to help showcase the positive change being made here in Torbay. We hope to be a beacon of hope and a helping hand for whoever needs us within our community.”
For bars, pubs, or clubs keen on joining the initiative, further information is available at shoutup.org/torbay.
