London’s night czar Amy Lame plans women’s night safety charter for businesses to help cut down on harassment

London’s night czar Amy Lame has unveiled plans to publish a women’s night safety charter in the next year, for venues, clubs and businesses to sign up to, and develop measures to combat harassment.

Potential measures include training for front of house staff, posters to discourage harassment and encourage reporting of incidents, and a commitment to ensure women leave venues safely.

Lame will set out the plans later today at the first Women’s Night Safety Summit.

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Lame, who was appointed by London mayor Sadiq Khan to oversee the capital’s night time economy in November, said:

Ensuring London is safe and welcome at night is one of the mayor’s top priorities, and as the capital becomes a truly 24-hour city, we need to embed women’s safety into our planning from the beginning.

Our incredible array of bars, clubs and venues makes London one of the world’s most vibrant cities after dark, but we all need to work together to make the conversation about our nightlife a positive one, and ensure that women feel confident that they can enjoy it safely.

By helping to create the new charter, venues, operators and businesses can do their bit to help make sure women feel safe, whether they’re on the tube, at work, or on the dancefloor.

Southwark Council became the first to develop a safety charter in 2014 with 62 venues signing up to its principles to implement a zero tolerance policy on harassment across its bars and clubs.

The summit today is looking to secure a commitment from other organisations to ensure women feel safe at night. Feedback and recommendations made at today’s summit, with women’s groups, businesses, transport bodies and councils in attendance, will help shape the charter.

According to Met police data, over the past year almost nine in 10 victims of sexual offences in the capital – and 53 per cent of victims resulting in injury – were female.

Lame hopes collaboration between transport providers, businesses, venues and the police, in the new charter, will help lower the risk of crime against women enjoying London at night.

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