Written submission from Kent Union (SPP0062)

Kent Union is the Students’ Union at the University of Kent, we represent and support activities for over 20,000 Kent students as well as running a partnership union with Greenwich on our Medway campus. Over the last three years we have been developing a Zero Tolerance project which has seen us lobbying Canterbury City Council to include a requirement for license holders to tackle sexual harassment in their premises. This is the first place in the UK where such a condition is placed on license holders and we are currently working with Medway Council to deliver a similar condition in licensing policy to make them the second place in the UK to require this.

Alongside this lobbying we have secured £12,350 from the Kent Police Crime Commissioner to deliver a training and accreditation scheme across license holders in Canterbury and Medway. This accreditation requires senior managers to attend a ‘train to train’ half day course that gives them the skills to train their staff how to proactively intervene, prevent and support reporting of sexual harassment and assault in their premises. The accreditation also involves the premises developing an ‘Ask for Angela’ policy[1], as well as policies to support signposting victims to support services, to encourage reporting, to deal with complaints, how to communicate the ‘Zero Tolerance’ agenda to patrons. Find out more information on the premises guide on our website www.kentunion.co.uk/zerotolerance

        Is Sexual Harassment a problem in the night-time economy?

        DrinkAware has found that Sexual Harassment is at the top of the list of risks for female students on a night out and that 54% of women had experienced unwelcome physical attention on a night out.[2] NUS conducted a report called Hidden Marks in 2010[3] and found that 68% of female students have experienced sexual harassment while at University or College and more recent surveys suggest that this number has gone up.

        What is the impact of sexual harassment on the lives of women and girls? Are there other effects, such as on bystanders, or on society in general?

Touching someone without their consent is a statement by the perpetrator that the victim has no choice in the physical interaction, that they are powerless to stop the perpetrator from touching them. This is the damaging underlying ideology that is behind serious sexual and physical assault. Critics will say that being touched in a nightclub is a compliment, as a way of showing your interest in someone. But the reality is that in so many anecdotal scenarios, the victim has made their displeasure known about this interaction, and that so many times this displeasure is either met by further assault or by abuse.

Sexual harassment in the night time economy makes women feel scared to be alone, both in and outside night time economy premises. It makes women feel that their role in the night time economy is to be an object of physical sexual attention, whether they want it or not.

        What gaps exist in the evidence about sexual harassment in public places?

There is a clear problem with dealing with and tackling sexual harassment in the night time economy. Reports are often hard to prove, as more often than not the assault has happened in a crowd, out of sight from CCTV or staff. This leads to victims being reluctant to report, as nothing will come of it.

Equally alcohol plays a role in sexual harassment, too often victims are blamed for what has happened to them because they were ‘too drunk’. Reports aren’t always believed from drunk victims, and there is an expectation that if they are drunk and have come out on a night out then they are looking for physical sexual attention, which is not the case.

Why does sexual harassment of women and girls in public places happen?

In the training we deliver we ask the night time economy staff why they think people sexually harass others. Many said it was because they were looking to find someone who would be interested in them, however others said it was about power. In anecdotal experiences the perpetrator isn’t looking for reciprocation of attention, instead they are looking for a reaction and they enjoy your outrage or discomfort. Men catcalling women on the street aren’t expecting to find a relationship, even for the night, they are showcasing their dominance to express their opinions in a way that the victim can’t control.

What are the factors (including social and cultural factors) that lead to sexual harassment of women and girls in public places?

Peer pressure and social and cultural norms are key factors that lead to sexual harassment of women and girls in public places. In the night time economy sexual harassment isn’t just expected, it’s accepted. It is a cultural norm and women are no longer surprised to be hassled, harassed or assaulted. Many never report it, they just see it as a normal part of a night out.

        How do men and boys learn what is acceptable behaviour? 

Our project aims to tackle the culture of accepting and expecting sexual harassment in the night time economy by taking a firm ‘Zero Tolerance’ attitude when it occurs. If a perpetrator is removed from a night club because he was reported for touching someone without their consent, he is unlikely to consider that normal or acceptable again, he would hopefully consider his behavior. Through a hard line and proactive intervening staff we hope that the project will see premises known for their safety, support to report, and for their stance against sexual harassment.

Preventing and responding to sexual harassment of women and girls in public places

We believe that with the right messaging and support we will create a culture where premises want to uphold a status as a ‘Zero Tolerance’ premises, where people feel safe and can happily report any issues that arise.

How should the Government tackle sexual harassment in public places?

By having a clear line of what is acceptable and what isn’t. It isn’t acceptable to touch someone’s bottom in public without their consent, yet it is considered expected in the night time economy. Because that act doesn’t hurt anyone, or endanger anyone’s safety it is easy to brush aside and not tackle, however it allows the underlying ideology to manifesto, leading to more serious sexual harassment and assault. 

        What are the police, local authorities or other bodies doing to tackle sexual harassment in public places?

Canterbury City Council and now Medway Council have been supportive of our lobbying to include a requirement of license holders to tackle sexual harassment in their premises. If more licensing bodies did this it would spread the message that it is something that premises can tackle. The police are too under resourced to follow up any reports of sexual harassment, they have to prioritise serious cases, this means too often reports stop there, if they are made at all. Police either need to be resourced to follow up cases, or there needs to be somewhere else people can go to report sexual harassment in public places.

        Who else has a role?

        The public have a role in tackling sexual harassment, as witnesses and bystanders. Too often a victim will not want to make a fuss or will be too scared to call out inappropriate behavior. Witnesses and bystanders are in a position to call out bad behavior and to make it cultural unacceptable. Too often sexual harassment is met with silence.                            

        Are more or different laws needed? Or do existing laws need to be better understood or enforced?

        Laws need to be better understood and enforced, there is no sense of illegality when people talk about being physically sexually harassed.                            

        Is current support adequate for victims of sexual harassment in public places?

What support is there? We are not aware of any public support that is offered.

Are there good practice examples or innovative thinking about tackling sexual harassment in the public realm either in the UK or internationally?

We hope that our project delivering a Zero Tolerance accreditation and training scheme to license holders across Medway and Canterbury is innovative thinking about tackling sexual harassment in the night time economy! We launch our official training in two weeks and will be able to continue provide updates and best practice as we progress, already in our on campus nightclub we have had ‘Ask for Angela’ utilised three times by students who wanted our support tackling sexual harassment.

March 2018