Safe Gigs Ireland reports 1 in 4 people have been sexually harassed in a bar or club this year.

By News Editor Cormac McCarthy

Content Warning – Contains discussion of Sexual Harassment

A recent survey from District Magazine on young people’s experience of nightlife reports that nearly 1 in 4 people have been sexually harassed this year. The survey, which coincided with a similar report from Safe Gigs Ireland also went on to report that 45 per cent of the 1000 people surveyed had been subjected to antisocial or threatening behaviour at night in Dublin city this year, with increasing reports of harassment also occurring in Cork.

This survey comes ahead of proposed changes to licensing laws in Ireland which could see clubs and pubs opening until 6 a.m. These changes have seen a largely positive response from the public with 91 per cent of people supporting these new reforms to licensing laws. This movement has been steadily gaining support from politicians such as Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and groups such as Give Us the Night.

It is expected that these new laws will come into effect in early 2024, changing a nearly 200-year-old law that has enforced strict closures of pubs without a late license to 12:30 a.m. The government has stated that these laws will bring Irish nightlife more in line with the rest of Europe.

However, with these new opening hours being introduced, many have campaigned for increased guidelines and regulations surrounding public safety. These include an increased security presence, safeguarding training for all members of staff in these establishments and a mandatory CCTV presence.

In recent years, there has been increased awareness of the sharp rise in reports of harassment and assaults in Ireland which has led to a diminishing desire for many members of the public to go out. Safety and comfortability in these premises have been a highlighted concern for many. In the survey, as many as a third of those surveyed felt self-conscious dancing in a nightclub due to a concern for their own welfare. Members of the LGBTQ+ community also reported higher rates of harassment when going out.

Cork city has seen its fair share of incidents with reports of spiking increasing in recent years, with students and young people being targeted. 2021 saw 13 reports in a six-week period with a woman being hospitalised in 2022.

Safe Gigs Ireland has been one of the most vocal campaigners on the issue. The organisation is an initiative to ensure that nightlife is safer, for everyone. Their aim is to eliminate discrimination and sexual violence in nightlife by creating a zero-tolerance environment for all forms of violence and unacceptable behaviour.

In an interview, Mary Crilly of SGI, said “We’re not accepting it anymore, and we’re not tolerating it. Another issue I find difficult to deal with is the whole issue of spiking, that a lot of events won’t admit it’s happening on their venues, as if it’s going to reflect on them. Instead of us all doing some research and testing to see how prevalent it is, and then doing something about it, [they would] rather than cover our heads and say it’s not happening here.”

She encouraged young people to get involved in the movement as a method to show the government that the campaign is working. “Young people, in their 20s, are the ones getting the message across, they’re the ones I want to talk to to make changes.” She highlighted the need for awareness on the issue, as the statistics always surprise those who have not experienced these issues.

The need for action to be taken on such matters was recently highlighted by a message appearing outside Workman’s pub in Dublin last week. The message, written in chalk on the path outside, was an anonymous account of an experience that went viral on social media, with many others contributing their own encounters.

The resounding testimony from many seemed to be the helplessness felt by those who had been subjected to these incidents. Many social media users said that bar staff had either been unwilling or unable to take action on such matters with many having no training whatsoever on how to deal with matters. This was not limited to Workman’s, with venues all over the country being mentioned in this manner.

Many praised Workman’s response to the message where they called on those to come forward with their own ordeals. Furthermore, they demonstrated the recent policies they had put in place to combat this culture such as safeguarding training and their focus on improving safe-space events for women, non-binary, and LGBTQ+ people.

Former Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Deirdre Forde has repeatedly stressed the need for increased public safety in Cork having said in a radio interview earlier this year that “There isn't a woman in Ireland that doesn't feel that way depending on the day or hour that they are out.”

Measures are currently being put in place by the Cork City Council to increase public safety in Cork nightlife ahead of the new licensing laws. One area that is being emphasized is the need for increased public transport. 49.8 per cent of people surveyed said that public transport plays a crucial role in their decision to go out, with it having a moderate effect on 38.42 per cent of people.

While the government attempts to “Go European” with its licensing laws, the question is can it do the same for people’s safety.