Safe Spaces Now is a new initiative that aims to improve women’s safety in the music industry.
Launched in the UK, the initiative aims to bring changes that can also be implemented in other parts of the world. UN Women UK is a gender equality organisation that have partnered with events company Strawberries & Creem Festival to lead this fight for change.
The initiative is calling those working within the music industry and live sectors to commit to tackling harassment, which includes the creation of safe spaces for women and marginalised groups.
A study found that more than 7 in 10 women in the UK have been sexually harassed, and over 40% of women under 40 have experienced sexual harassment during a live music event.
Safe Space Now has penned an open letter that highlighted the ongoing issue and calls for acknowledgement of the need for these worrying statistics to change. Calling for people to take action, and innovate new schemes that can improve the safety of anyone who could become a victim of sexual harassment.
Some of the high-profile people/organisations who have signed the letter to show their support include the co-organiser of Glastonbury Festival, Rudimental, BBC Radio 1 Xtra’s Yasmin Evans, the Eden Project and ticket retailer Dice.
UN Women UK has proposed more than 150 different ways to create safe spaces at music events, nightclubs and festivals. Some examples include redesigning spaces, addressing behaviour within them, inclusion within staff teams and training to recognise potential abuse and respond accordingly. The initiative asks companies, events and venues to pledge a commitment to improving safety by implementing some of these many suggestions.
Strawberries & Creem is a festival based in Cambridge, UK and they have become the first to pledge and pilot the initiative at an event.
Claire Barnett is the Executive Director of UN Women UK, and she gave a statement saying: “As live events return following the COVID pandemic, women and marginalised people everywhere are not only thinking about staying safe from the virus – they want to be able to enjoy their right to music, arts and culture without constant fears of violence and harassment.
“We have a unique opportunity as we return from lockdown to reconsider the way we construct and use our public spaces to be safer for the long term.”
H/T: Mixmag
