POSITIVE PROGRESS

Campaigning for women’s safety in Liverpool means inevitably discussing some unpleasant and upsetting topics. Across The Birds’ social media platforms this week, the issue of spiking has been at the centre of our posts: https://instagram.com/birdsjustwannahavefun?utm_medium=copy_link 

While this is necessary in order to garner attention and highlight the urgency of these issues, we wanted to bring you some positive news about the work being done in Liverpool towards creating a safer city for all.


1. POPULAR LIVERPOOL COCKTAIL SPOT PRAISED FOR ANTI-SPIKING INITIATIVE


The team at Slug and Lettuce Liverpool (situated on North John Street) has been praised in the news this week for taking practical action towards combatting spiking. They have been utilising ‘StopTopps’ on their cocktails, which are self-adhesive glass covers made out of foil, designed to deter the contamination of drinks and ensure a safer night-out for all. It is extremely encouraging to see large chains such as this become active in the campaign against spiking. Such a simple solution to a wide-spread problem! 


To learn more about StopTopps, visit their website: https://stoptopps.com 



2. HOME SECRETARY BACKS THE CRIMINALISATION OF SPIKING 



Also in the news this week, Priti Patel has responded to the nationwide spiking ‘epidemic’ in recent months and is set to make drink spiking a criminal offence by introducing new legislation. The new law would target anyone who gives a substance to someone without their consent, ‘regardless of a perpetrator’s motivation’ and not just those linked to sexual offences. While this is reported to potentially take up to a year, it is encouraging nonetheless that the Home Office have stated that ministers will table an amendment to the Police, Crime and Sentencing and Courts Bill and create tougher measures for spikers. 


To read more, please see: https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1569241/drink-spiking-criminal-offence-review-sexual-offences-act-priti-patel



3. LIVERPOOL STREET PASTORS TO RETURN TO CITY CENTRE IN 2022



Street Pastors is a inter-denominational Christian-based charity, responding to the problems of crime and safety. Located in cities all across the UK, the Street Pastors venture out at weekends, equipped with everything from first-aid, flip-flops and the time and patience to listen to those in distress. In Liverpool, they work alongside Merseyside Police and Liverpool City Council, serving everyone from party-goers to the homeless, but have not been able to carry out their work since 2020 due to a lack of funding. However, according to their Facebook page, a re-launch of pastors is set to take place in Liverpool once again. If you would like to donate to the Liverpool City Centre Street Pastors please follow this link :https://paypal.me/LCCStreetPastors?locale.x=en_GB 


To learn more about Street Pastors, visit their website: https://www.streetpastors.org/about-us-1/ 



4. 1000 STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL EQUIPPED WITH BYSTANDER INTERVENTION TRAINING 



The University of Liverpool Guild of Students took action into their own hands and have been providing students with free bystander intervention training, with over a thousand students receiving this training in the 2020-21 academic year. But what is bystander intervention? The training aims to teach students how to recognise and combat Sexual Misconduct and make halls, lessons and society meeting and events accessible to all. Although The Guild’s training is tailored to student-life, the methods can be transferred to all life scenarios, such as how to help someone who may be in danger during a night-out. 


To learn more about the theories behind bystander intervention, please see: https://www.ihollaback.org/bystander-resources/  



5. £270,000 FUNDING TO IMPROVE WOMEN’S SAFTEY ON LIVERPOOL’S TRANSPORT 


A great sum of money has been secured by Merseyside’s Police Commissioner, Emily Spurrell, to improve the safety of women across Liverpool’s transport network. This bid came as a result of the The Safer Streets Merseyside survey, which was instructed by the PCC in June last year, that found 54% of women felt unsafe using public transport in Merseyside at night and nearly 42% had concerns about using it in the day. The money will be used to improve CCTV equipment, create ‘help-points’ and provide transport staff with by-stander intervention training. A larger uniformed police presence is also to be expected as the investment is rolled out. It is really positive to see that leaders of our city are taking the issue of women’s safety seriously! 


To read more, visit: https://liverpoolexpress.co.uk/funding-to-improve-womens-feeling-of-safety-on-transport-network/ 



keep an eye out for our next blog post! 

The Birds x

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

POSITIVE PROGRESS (3)

Image
It is round three of our positive progress round-up, where we gather the latest stories in the news and shine the spotlight on some of the more hopeful and practical action that is being taken to improve the safety and wellbeing of women across Liverpool and nationwide.   PRETTY LITTLE THING'S ANTI-RAPE CAMPAIGN  Popular low-cost fashion brand Pretty Little Thing launched a campaign in conjunction with International Women's day 2022, responding to the common rape myth that a women's choice of clothing contributes to their chances of getting assaulted. According to PLT's website, they report that nearly 6 out of 10 women said it was commonly believed that women who go to parties wearing 'provocative' clothing are 'asking for trouble' which is where the hashtag comes into play:  #MyDressDoesntMeanYes. The campaign was promoted by many fashion, beauty, and lifestyle social media influencers, and a unique line of slogan tote bags with the hashtag on, as well...
Read more

Tolerance Of Behaviours At The Bottom Supports Those Higher Up

Image
    Rape Myths and Rape Culture  A myth is a widely held bar false belief or idea, or a misrepresentation of the truth. ‘Rape myths’ are often used by perpetrators to excuse their behaviour and create a greater hostility towards the victim, isolating them further. They can also form an unfair bias in society and influence the criminal prosecution process and therefore it is important to set the records straight. Here is a series of common rape myths and widely-held cultural beliefs, along with the factual truth which reinforces that is is NEVER the fault of the victim. *Trigger Warning* The following statements could be upsetting to some and we encourage you to read with caution and to seek support if you need. Support can be found via these websites: https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-help/ https://www.supportline.org.uk/problems/rape-and-sexual-assault/ https://www.rasamerseyside.org   Myth: “If someone gets really drunk, it’s their own fault if they end up gett...
Read more