Bid to end Galway pub and club assaults

A campaign to tackle harassment in pubs and nightclubs will be adopted in Galway by the end of the year in a bid to curb a growing number of assaults in the city’s most popular venues.

Good Night Out has now been adopted by London’s big dance venues such as Ministry of Sound and Fabric after the campaign was rolled out by the feminist group, Hollaback.It is being launched here by the Galway Rape Crisis Centre (GRCC) in the Autumn.

Depending on the level of funding, the centre will be approaching all of the city’s top bars and clubs to explain the campaign and urging them to sign up to the safety pledge.

The centre also plans to provide training to bar and door staff to ensure they handle reports sensitively and effectively, explained Aoife Ní Laoi of the GRCC.

The pledge reads as follows: ‘We want you to have a great night out, so we have a zero-tolerance policy on harassment. No matter how minor it seems, if something makes you feel uncomfortable, you can report it to a member of our staff. They will believe you and make sure it doesn’t have to ruin your night.’

“On our end, there has certainly been an increase in the reports of sexual assaults in nightclubs, from minor incidents to the more serious end. They are happening in toilets and outside the door,” explained Ms Ní Laoi.

“We feel it is an area that needs to be addressed. Also it’s educating bystanders that it’s not okay to stand by when harassment is taking place.”

The Galway Rape Crisis Centre hopes to launch it in September. It is currently working with Hollaback London to standardise the material and work on the training programme.

Read more in today’s Connacht Sentinel