A night in a pub or club with friends is supposed to be fun, and yet for some people - including many young women - it remains tinged with risk. No one should be made to feel unsafe or uncomfortable, and yet in some places poor behaviour by a small minority seems to have become an accepted state of affairs.
For me, as with too many women, this issue became truly real when I saw first hand the impact of a spiked drink on a good friend. Luckily, we safely got home, but not everyone is so lucky. We also know that these incidences are too common; a study by Drinkaware(1) found that 79% of women aged 18-24 think that they or their friends are likely to face harassment on a night out.
The "Ask for Angela" campaign is a critical safety net for anyone facing harassment on a night out. All venues are invited to join the scheme by which staff are trained to respond to an 'ask for Angela' by discretely providing support, de-escalating a potential situation before any harm is done.
I have argued that more strength should be given to the campaign, ensuring its roll out as widely as possible. For local Councils, that could look like conditions for venue licenses, a simple no-cost addition to an existing process.
1. Drinkaware, "Inappropriate behaviour in pubs, bars and clubs". September 2017
