Collaboration Amongst Torbay’s Nightspots to Enhance Safety Following Reports of Widespread Harassment in Devon

In a significant development this week, seven more Torbay nightspots have been awarded the Shout-Up! certificate, following a survey revealing that 73% of women and 36% of men have faced sexual harassment during nights out in Devon.

The Shout-Up! scheme, an initiative by Torbay Council to create harassment-free environments in bars, pubs, clubs, and licensed venues, has expanded its reach with the accreditation of additional venues, bringing the total to fifteen establishments under its banner.

This advancement in certifications aligns with a Shout-Up! poll revealing a disturbing trend: almost three-quarters of women and a substantial percentage of bystanders have witnessed harassment during nights out in Devon.

Eunice Godinho, Assistant Manager at Otto, one of the newly certified venues, emphasized, “Everyone deserves to be able to go on a night out and enjoy themselves without feeling unsafe. With enough people taking on this mindset now, it won’t just be us the venues that benefit, but everyone, especially the younger generations that have yet to experience their first night out, and shouldn’t be experiencing any kind of harassment.”

The criteria for Shout-Up! certification remain rigorous, requiring venues to:

• have all staff complete Bystander Intervention Training delivered by experts from Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services,
• write and share sexual harassment policies protecting staff and patrons,
• have a publicly available procedure for dealing with incidents of sexual harassment,
• commit to making their venue a sexual harassment-free zone,
• display visible signage explaining their participation in the scheme and what patrons can expect to happen in the event of sexual harassment,
• commit to undertake six-monthly reviews on policies, procedures and training to retain certification.

The latest group of venues to meet these standards and achieve certification includes Offshore Bar, Otto, Revolution, Soho, The Riviera International Centre, Twenty1, and VIVA.

Training and guidance for the Shout-Up! initiative are provided by Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services, whose team possesses in-depth knowledge of sexual harassment dynamics and supports certified venues in training new employees and maintaining high standards.

Mandy Barnes from Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services shared, “Since we launched Shout-Up! in November 2023, more than 150 venue staff have received training, increasing their understanding of the issues and giving them the skills needed to intervene. Having visited many of these venues and spoken to their staff, I’ve been very impressed by their enthusiasm and commitment to making Torbay the best and safest night out.”

Scott McKenna, General Manager of the Shout-Up! accredited VIVA on Torquay harbour, noted, “With workshops, training sessions, and advocacy Shout-Up! are supporting us to promote consent, boundaries and bystander intervention.

“We’re so glad to help showcase the positive change being made here in Torbay. We hope to be a beacon of hope and a helping hand for whoever needs us within our community.”

Bars, pubs, or clubs interested in joining the cause can find more information at shoutup.org/torbay.