Cambridge nightlife has a serious sexual harassment problem, and forcing the clubs, pubs and venues to sign up to the Good Night Out Pledge is our best bet to make a difference.

On a night out in Cambridge a few months ago, I walked into a pub and a man grabbed me from behind, isolated me from my friends and tried to pull up my skirt as I walked past. I challenged him, and he replied saying: “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” He could ‘resist’. He just chose not to, and more importantly, he knew he would get away with it. I was left feeling vulnerable, isolated, and the worst thing was that nobody else around me challenged him or offered me any help. In his eyes, his behaviour was acceptable, a bit of ‘banter’ and a completely appropriate way to interact with a woman. This example is sadly and worryingly not an anomaly, or something that happens only rarely. Sexual harassment of a verbal or physical nature is so common and widespread that it has become an aspect of every night out. I, alongside my friends, experience behaviour like this frequently. It’s not a question of if, but when, and how many times.
Almost everyone has a story or knows somebody who has experienced inappropriate behaviour. It has become normalised. Women and members of the LGBT+ community are forced to tolerate advances and brush off comments or coercion. Sexual harassment is rife across the country and these patterns of behaviour are evident in nights out in Cambridge. At the moment, the clubs, pubs and bars are doing little to nothing to tackle it.

The Good Night Out Campaign was launched in London in 2014. It is a nationwide movement and global network that strives to end sexual harassment on nights out. The campaign works through a coalition of regional organisers, women’s groups, charities and other organisations that sign clubs, pubs and venues up to the pledge and to receive Good Night Out training. The pledge reads: “We want you to have a good night out. If something or someone makes you feel uncomfortable, no matter how minor it may seem, you can report it to any member of staff and they will work with you to make sure it doesn’t have to ruin your night.”

When this is placed in a visible spot at a club, pub or venue, it sends a strong message to punters: firstly, that they are in an environment where harassment won’t be tolerated, and secondly that they have the staff behind them, ready to deal with any complaints. Although this may seem minor, it is a powerful message for the venue itself to take an open, explicit stand against sexual harassment, and for that matter, any other kind of abuse that people could face in their establishment. Alongside this, the campaign offers specific and detailed training to all members of staff at the premises as part of the pledge. They are trained in the step-by-step process for dealing with reports of sexual harassment, and taught how to respond to a situation in which somebody needs help. It can often feel as if reports of sexual harassment or abuse will be laughed off or ignored by staff, and their presence is not felt except when letting people in, serving drinks and managing the cloakroom.

None of what the pledge entails is taxing or problematic for the venues. They are there to give students and residents a good and relaxed night out, and all they are being asked to do is provide an explicit commitment to tackling sexual harassment and putting their clients’ welfare first. It is a surprise then that not a single club, pub or venue in Cambridge has yet signed up to the Good Night Out pledge. Although one or two clubs have customer care programmes, this is not a clear and explicit commitment to ending sexual harassment.

CUSU Women’s Officer Charlotte Chorley will be meeting with all of the licensed premises on Wednesday 25th November to ask them to sign up to the pledge. She, alongside the Cambridge Universities Labour Club and Daniel Zeichner MP, are campaigning for this to become a universal policy commitment; a petition has been launched in the run-up to the meeting, encouraging the venues to commit to the pledge. The only way that premises will respond is if they feel it is a campaign that their clientele are united behind. They don’t want to appear unresponsive, so it is up to the student body to take a stand.

The Good Night Out Campaign is the best option to push zero-tolerance to sexual harassment and abuse to the forefront. It has the dual power of a public declaration against this behaviour alongside practical training. I urge you to sign the petition and change Cambridge nightlife for the better. You can find it on the CULC Facebook page, the CUSU Women’s Campaign discussion group and the Tell Cambridge Venues to Take Action on Harassment page. Every time a student embarks on a night out, whether for a 3am rendition of the Lion King or a pint at the pub, they should do so knowing they are in an environment that is on their side.