Pledge - a nighttime safety campaign

17/11/2021

Mary is missing from the west Hull/Newland area 👇 we hope she's found safe and well soon!

17/11/2021

A reminder that Sophie Waterfield, co-founder of Reclaim the Streets Hull, is asking people to sign this open letter to East Yorkshire buses (formerly EYMS) to urge them to prioritise the safety of women using their services.
https://openletter.earth/open-letter-to-eyms-ltd-on-women-and-girls-safety-in-east-yorkshire-01d73b81?fbclid=IwAR012FadTCG01heaczdHicxTaPlDhc0N0zwaESH2R4mFNkLt7GhaYnZ-Lxo

To the Directors of East Yorkshire Motor Services Ltd., We are writing to you to incite change to enable women and girls to travel home safely, especially at night time and at weekends, following reports of a 16-year-old girl left at Beverley Bus Station on Sunday evening, 7 November 2021. According...

11/11/2021

... 𝕋𝕠 𝕓𝕖 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕗𝕦𝕝 𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕒 𝕗𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕕, 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕗𝕗 𝕞𝕖𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣 𝕠𝕣 𝕔𝕦𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕣 𝕞𝕒𝕪 𝕓𝕖 𝕧𝕦𝕝𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞 𝕒𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕚𝕟 𝕟𝕖𝕖𝕕...

When I wrote the pledge, I was thinking a lot about how taxi and bus drivers play such an important role in making our city safer. I hope East Yorkshire revises its policy and the driver thinks carefully about the impact of his actions. This just shouldn't happen. https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/east-yorkshire-bus-driver-left-6181321

He beeped his horn as she pleaded with him to let her on

27/10/2021

We would just like to show our support and admiration for the activists behind the national and local night in movements.

We will continue reaching out to venues and lobbying for better training and support for staff. Together, we can make our city a better, safer place.

22/10/2021

I've written a message for venues to remind them to remain vigilant at this time 👇

Dear venues of Hull,

I’m writing to you today to urge you and your staff to remain extra vigilant at this time.

You have probably seen the worrying reports of high levels of spiking from around the country. The reports of drugs administered by injection are especially concerning, as this also carries the risk of infection and damage to nerves and blood vessels. Reports of similar incidents in Hull are beginning to circulate on social media. We know many of you will already have policies and procedures in place and may already be taking extra steps; however, we just wanted to reach out and make sure everyone is aware of the risks and the steps that can be taken to mitigate them.

Please believe those who claim they may have been spiked and treat them seriously. It is important to remember that spiking with alcohol is actually also very common and staff should turn a blind eye to those appearing to pour extra shots into a drink that does on appear to be theirs.

What can venues do to prevent spiking?

While it can be time-consuming and unpleasant for customers and staff, please consider searches on entry. Prevention is always better. Some venues have already started doing this with hand held metal detectors too.

Please ensure all staff are up-to-date with training and familiar with your venue’s specific policies and protocols around spiking.

Drinks covers can be purchased here - https://stoptopps.com/shop/. We are currently liaising with the police and council to increase resources available, such as drinks covers, testing kits and awareness posters, and find out how you can access them.

Please brief bar and door staff to watch out for suspicious behaviour and ensure CCTV is operational and covers high risk areas, particularly when there has been a suspected spiking.

I have attached the police’s posters for those that may already have access to testing kits.

What can you do if you think someone has been spiked?

If their condition appears to be deteriorating or they are struggling to stay awake, do not hesitate to call 999 or ensure they reach A&E. While it is rare, spiking can cause permanent injury or even death. Every second counts in these situations.

If somebody is displaying unusual symptoms or seem extremely intoxicated, please remind staff not to serve them any more alcohol. Bring them to a quiet space accompanied by a member of staff who has completed first aid training.

As many of these drugs also lower inhibitions and cause confusion, a victim may become upset or aggressive. While this can be difficult for staff to deal with, ensuring they are not left alone remains important.

Please do not allow them to travel home alone or with someone who also appears to be very intoxicated or unknown to them. It may be difficult to know for sure if someone accompanying them home is trustworthy – in these situations, find out if a family member, trusted friend or volunteer (such as a member of Hull Trinity Street Angels) can be contacted can accompany them.

If someone is suspected of spiking or injecting someone, please call the police and, if possible, alert customers to the potential risk.

You have the power to detain someone suspected of spiking by performing a citizen’s arrest. Legitimate reasons you can give for doing this include:

· To stop a person from leaving the scene before an officer arrives to take over responsibility

· To protect a person from causing injury to themselves or others

· If you witness or have reasonable grounds to believe that a person is in the act of committing a crime

· You witness or have reasonable grounds to believe that a person has committed a crime

Symptoms to watch out for: confusion, nausea and vomiting, lowered inhibitions, suddenly feeling much more drunk, feeling “woozy” or drowsy, speech problems, breathing difficulties, seizures and muscle spasms, unconsciousness.

Thank you for taking your time to read this and please share any measures you may be taking with us so that we can seek to understand best practice.

01/10/2021

It's fair to say that this hasn't been an especially easy few weeks for most women. It's pretty exhausting, actually.

Here in Hull, two brutal attacks left many angered and afraid.
The public response of the police was pretty underwhelming, first instructing "women and girls" to "stay safe", sadly echoing the infamous response of their predecessors in the 70s, and then reveling that certain details were withheld to "avoid panic".

Despite some of the good work I know many officers are doing here, many of these unhelpful attitudes clearly persist and continue to hinder progress.

Nationwide, women gathered at a vigil in memory of Sabina Nessa, only to then protest outside the Old Bailey as we heard how a serving Metropolitan Police Officer - known as "the ra**st" for how he made female colleagues feel and accused of numerous crimes since 2015 - abused his position to murder Sarah Everard.

There were probably numerous other examples from across the UK.

This hurts all my heart so much. We know non-contact offences like indecent exposure and voyeurism escalate, yet they are still not treated as serious crimes. I've witnessed this dismissive attitude and its tragic consequences first hand.

Of course, more than anything, our thoughts are with their family and friends at this time, as well as family and friends of others lost to male violence, and survivors too.

24/09/2021

15/08/2021

To track the ‘incel’ diatribes uttered and read by Jake Davison, murdering women can seem like the logical conclusion to their seething hatred

02/08/2021

𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕠 𝔾𝕃𝕆𝕎-𝕌ℙ 🌟🌠
First, thank you to everyone who's followed the campaign recently. Things have been pretty busy behind the scenes. There's some awesome work going on in the region at the moment, including the creation of a women's safety charter. Being part of this process and hearing how our ideas have already helped to shape work in some areas - particularly around early intervention and prevention - has been bloody amazing.

What we want to see:
💫 a pledge to never leave a vulnerable person alone and bystander intervention training for all staff
💫 the creation of safer routes - "purple pavements" - with good lighting, CCTV and high footfall, along with safe spaces, or "pause points", along the way
💫 a zero-tolerance approach to harassment, with a poster campaign and training for staff
💫 more education around consent and respect, and early intervention for "low-level" offenders, including therapy
💫 greater cooperation between local volunteers, local authorities, police and society as a whole
𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕊𝕆 𝕄𝕌ℂℍ 𝕄𝕆ℝ𝔼...

A recap & a request:
Hey, I'm Holly. The idea for this campaign came to me back in 2019 during a nighttime economy panel I participated in, and finally set up in March of this year with the help of some friends. While the idea came to me at work, the passion for the project is mostly due to the fact that I - like the overwhelming majority of women - have been a victim of s*xual harassment and assault. I currently work as the diversity and inclusivity officer at Hull University Students' Union, and a councillor at HCC. While I get to do a lot of work in this area in both of these roles, things can get pretty busy, and it would be great to start growing the team! Whether you can help out with design, social media, business contacts or even developing training packages, or literally anything else, please let me know if you'd like to be involved. I know a few people have already offered and I'll be in touch soon!

15/07/2021

"I did search for any mention of the relationship between domestic violence and high profile matches by any clubs or football authorities, but I couldn’t find much evidence of any campaigns in this area. It seems to be common knowledge that football matches are associated with a spike in domestic violence but there isn’t much of a conversation around it. It’s so common, I think we can forget to be outraged. But we mustn’t. The combination of alcohol and heightened emotions can be so toxic – this is reflected in the statistics, which suggest that when England play, domestic abuse surges by 26% - increasing to 38% when England lose.

This team have done an amazing job of raising awareness around racial inequalities and child poverty – perhaps this is something they could consider looking at in future. According to local police data, 76% of reported domestic abuse is perpetrated by men, with the majority being white and British, and aged 24-29. We know the sport is particularly popular among this demographic, so some communication from the teams, clubs and authorities could actually be very powerful.

In addition to ensuring victims are supported and kept safe, we must also raise awareness of what support and intervention is available for potential and actual perpetrators – there are lots of organisations, such as White Ribbon, who in particular engage with and educate men and boys. Making sure that people have access to therapy if they struggle with anger or substance abuse is also crucial. It would be brilliant to see high profile figures within sport partner up with organisations, both nationally and locally."

Full article and petition: https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/england-euro-final-defeat-sparked-5649337

A total of 34 incidents were reported in Hull

13/07/2021

The racist and xenophobic abuse directed towards the players and members of the public has been absolutely disgraceful. These guys are national heroes and to think a number of "fans" think it's okay to behave like this is disgusting and upsetting - but not really all that surprising. We've still got a long way to go in the UK, sadly. We hope those responsible for harassing both players and fellow fans face consequences.
https://metro.co.uk/2021/07/12/as-a-black-woman-i-had-to-change-my-route-home-because-england-lost-14916137/

This morning, I felt anything but patriotic.

12/07/2021

Pleased to be attending this event as part of my day job. This is providing an opportunity for different organisations from across the region to discuss best practice and next steps.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION
The table I am sitting at the conference, with my grey laptop, a booklet titled "Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls" and a red notebook and pen.

11/07/2021

We wish we didn't have to make this post.

Many of us will have a great night watching the match with friends and family, cheering on a fantastic team.

However, for some, "it's coming home" can have a very different - and much more sinister - meaning. When England play, domestic violence surges by 26% - increasing to 38% when we lose.

Be vigilant, look out for friends and neighbours and don't be afraid to contact the police if you suspect something is wrong. If you are concerned about your own safety, Hull's Domestic Abuse Partnership can be reached on 01482 318759 or the emergency duty team on 01482 300304 out of hours. There is more information on their website: http://www.hulldap.co.uk/.
There have also been reports of violence and harassment on the streets following matches - this should also be taken seriously and reported to the police.

Stay safe, everyone.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION
A close up image a white woman with a bloodied nose, with the blood forming the St George's Cross (from the National Centre for Domestic Violence)

09/07/2021

We hope the meeting went well. So much admiration for Lisa Squire and support for this progressive approach - it's definitely something I'll be bringing more into conversations with the organisations I work with as part of this campaign, as well as in my day job.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-57736850.amp

Libby Squire's mother wants to see therapy offered to low-level s*x offenders.

02/07/2021

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙤𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙨?

On the national Reclaim the Streets group (now Women Reclaim), a few people had noted that toilets are usually filled with advice on keeping yourself safe - but nothing reminding people that this kind of behaviour is not acceptable. 𝗜𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁, 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗳𝘂𝗹. Once again, it's left to the victim to take responsibility to protect themselves, and the behaviour isn't explicitly challenged.

Tackling this "lower level" stuff not only lets people enjoy time with friends without the fear of harassment, but it challenges the entitlement some people feel and the culture that allows many behaviours to be dismissed or even normalised. As we see far too often, the jump from "minor" offences to much more serious ones can be a small one for some. We want to tackle the root causes of this problem.

If it were just the one poster in use, I'd make it gender neutral, although a few different versions and wording tailored to the type of venue would be ideal. I'm looking at pushing something like this with a couple of different organisations I'm working with - I know it's not a new idea but I've struggled to find examples of where this has been done elsewhere. Just interested in your feedback!

IMAGE DESCRIPTION
On a black, grey and purple faded background, a black and white photo of a distressed young woman fades in and out, with the following text in white:
You might think it's banter, but trust us, she doesn't. No one should have to worry about inappropriate comments or unwanted touching on a night out. These are harassment and assault, and should be treated as such. Sexual harassment and assault should be met with a zero tolerance approach.

06/06/2021

"Throughout lockdown some women had only found out on the day their trial had been postponed..."

This just isn't just disappointing. It's heartbreaking.

Unnecessary delays prolong and add to the trauma, and can impact victims' and witnesses' ability to give evidence.

If the justice system is serious about tacking r**e, domestic abuse and violence against women, so much more needs to be done.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jun/06/r**e-and-domestic-violence-cases-will-be-hardest-hit-by-justice-backlog-says-police-chief?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Exclusive: Austerity, mismanagement and ‘reckless neglect’ has left system at crisis point, says crime commissioner