The City of Adelaide has partnered with hospitality venues to launch a new pilot program to help improve women’s safety in licensed premises.
‘Project Night Light’ is a twelve-month pilot project that aims to create a safer nightlife setting in pubs, clubs, bars and restaurants by training staff about how they can help protect their female patrons and improve safety at their venue.
According to the City of Adelaide, twelve city venues are participating in the trial, with staff from each establishment undergoing bystander intervention training. They will also learn how to appropriately respond when people disclose experiences of family and domestic violence or sexual assault.
Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith says this is an important program prioritising women’s safety.
“We want our city to be a welcoming and inviting place, where everybody feels safe to have a fun night out,” said the Lord Mayor.
“We anticipate by running these training programs it will empower staff at these venues to recognise and act on the signs of disrespect to help prevent escalation to violence,” she said.
“I applaud these 12 venues for signing up to this pilot program, and I’m hopeful it can be expanded to more establishments in the future.”
The 12 venues participating in Project Night Light are UniBar, Fat Controller, The Howling Owl, Leigh St Wine Room, Peel St, NOLA, The Lab on Light, Press Food & Wine, My Lover Cindi, Mismatch Brewing Co, The Olivia Hotel, and Duke of Brunswick.
Kristy Sander from The Lab on Light says, “we wanted to be involved to ensure we have the skills, strategies and support required to effectively implement prevention initiatives within our venue.”
“We hope our staff feel confident and empowered to take action against gender inequality, harassment and discrimination wherever they go.”
Rachel Hosking from My Lover Cindi says, “we felt that the values of the program around improving the safety for women to enjoy vibrant spaces of Adelaide’s nightlife aligned neatly with our own goals.”
“We hope to continue to improve on aspects of our business that promote safety for women in a practical sense, but also to be equipped with the tools that will continue to enrich our venue’s culture that promotes safety for women.”
For more details on Project Night Light, visit this PS News link.
