Displaying items by tag: sexualassault
Argentinian nightlife to implement Ask for Angela protocol against sexual assault
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Argentinian nightlife venues to implement Ask for Angela protocol against sexual assault Announcement made public amid Argentinian nightlife joins the International Nightlife Association The International Nightlife Association has been guiding on safety and sexual assault since 2017 |
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(BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA) February 2, 2023 It's a pleasure for the International Nightlife Association (INA) to announce the entry of the Argentinian Nightlife Federation (Federación de Entidades de Discotecas de la República de Argentina FEDRA) into the INA. The incorporation of the Federation also comes with the implementation of the Ask for Angela protocol in nightlife venues in Argentina adhering to FEDRA and implementing safety and quality nightlife seals. This announcement was made by the President of the FEDRA Rodolfo Roque Di Pinto who stated, “The nightlife companies that are a part of our national federation will be able to implement international safety and quality distinctions and be directly linked to the INA. We consider becoming a member of the INA a great opportunity and allows for our venues to exchange experiences and share formulas that allow addressing the problems of the sector and stimulate its prioritization through networking on; the professionalization of tourist leisure, business responsibilities in the face of legal obligations, tariffs and copyrights and artists, innovation and new trends.” The International Nightlife Association has been around for over 10 years and has been excelling and giving prestige to the industry by launching safety and quality seals like the Triple Excellence in Nightlife including safety, acoustic, and service seals since 2015. Ask for Angela was born in the UK in 2016 and was adopted by the INA in 2017 Ask for Angela is a campaign that originated in 2016 in Lincolnshire (England) used by nightlife venues to keep people safe from sexual assault by using a codeword to identify when they are in danger or are in an uncomfortable situation. The "Ask Angela" campaign is named in remembrance of Angela Crompton, a woman who was abused and killed in 2012, and also inspired by the meaning of the name which is "messenger of God" or “angel” (guardian or protector). In 2017, the International Nightlife Association decided to adopt the campaign and included it as one of the current requirements to achieve the International Nightlife Safety Checked seal. The protocol has been evolved since then by the International Nightlife Association introducing all kinds of sexual harassment and assault prevention measures to fight drink spiking and injection spiking among other threats. Additionally, the venues’ demands to implement such protocols are increasing more and more daily. José Luis Benitez, President of the International Nightlife Associaton and spokesperson for the Ibiza Nightlife Association (Ocio de Ibiza) said, “We have been working very hard these last years and we are very proud of it. More clubs and countries are increasingly interested in implementing this protocol. In Ibiza, we train an average of 300 nightlife workers every year and also introduce all kinds of new material. All members of staff are fundamental to fighting this threat, and our sector is very committed to eradicating it from our spaces.” Ask for Angela has since expanded to many different countries such as Spain, Colombia, Belgium, Australia, South Africa, the USA, and now also Argentina Nightclubs in Argentina will implement safety and quality seals FEDRA has also expressed its total adherence to INA’s hallmarks and safety and quality protocols; in particular, the International Nightlife Safety Checked (INSC) seal which includes the Ask for Angela protocol but also the main existing distinction of quality and excellence in the nightlife sector, the Triple Excellence in Nightlife, which will be at the disposal of the Argentinian clubs who want to implement it. FEDRA was established in 1995 with the main goal of putting Argentina’s nightlife industry's ideas in common and joining forces to fight for their rights and make their voices heard. Camilo Ospina Guzmán, Vice President of the International Nightlife Association for LATAM and President of the Colombian Nightlife Association (Asobares) has celebrated the adherence of FEDRA to the International Nightlife Association and its safety and quality protocols stating that "We are proud to have the FEDRA among us, since the bigger we are and the more countries we have a presence in LATAM and the rest of the world, the stronger our industry will be. We introduced the Ask for Angela campaign in Colombia a few years ago through the INA and believe that the more countries that adhere to it, the more unified and worldwide the code will be recognized and applied.” |
Spain Nightlife asks for private prosecution in Dani Alves case
Spain Nightlife asks for private prosecution in Dani Alves case
Nightlife sector decides not to remain impassive after this serious event while respecting the defendant’s presumption of innocence
The international nightlife industry wants to express its rejection towards these actions(BARCELONA, SPAIN) January 25, 2023
The Association Spain Nightlife, adhered to the International Nightlife Association (INA), has presented a judicial document before the court that is investigating the case of the alleged rape perpetrated by international football player Dani Alves, to become a private prosecutor in the case. The petition is currently awaiting the response of the district attorney and the defense for the judge to accept Spain Nightlife in the case. The INA is also studying to become a private prosecutor due to the worldwide media impact this case is having. Nightlife business owners feel legitimized by this given the serious damage that is being caused to the image of the sector as well as to show their absolute rejection of this type of conduct.
Joaquim Boadas, Secretary General of Spain Nightlife and the International Nightlife Association has stated that "The private prosecution is carried out with the utmost respect for the defendant’s fundamental right of presumption of innocence, which does not take away from the fact that we condemn these behaviors and stand in solidarity with the victim and that we want the incident to be clarified as soon as possible, which is why we intend to be part in the criminal case.”
The legal representative of both organizations has stated that "The nightlife industry cannot remain indifferent before such serious actions, especially when it is fighting and training employers and workers to avoid cases of sexual violence so that behaviors like these never happen in nightlife premises.” In fact, Boadas has continued to explain "Fortunately these events are very rare in nightlife venues" and has defended that "nightlife venues are safe spaces, especially when the vast majority of them incorporate special measures and protocols to avoid cases of sexual assault and harassment and we will continue fighting until we can completely eradicate them."
International safety and quality distinctions to prevent cases of sexual assault
The International Nightlife Association and its member associations such as Spain Nightlife have been implementing international safety and quality seals since 2017 that incorporate special measures to avoid, among others, sexual misconduct in member venues. Thus, the highest international nightlife distinction that currently exists is the Triple Excellence in Nightlife. Said distinction promoted by the International Nightlife Association, incorporates a series of measures and a protocol to prevent sexual assault from occurring in nightlife venues, and not only inside but also outside. The protocol is called "Ask For Angela", and is accompanied by training for its proper use that is given to all venue staff. Ask for Angela is the name of a campaign that was created in England by the Lincolnshire County Council that started in 2016 that is used by bars and other venues to keep people safe from sexual assault by using a codeword to identify when they are in danger or are in an uncomfortable situation and has since been spread worldwide.
The seal also requires that the venue have drink covers available to its customers to avoid drink spiking, the obligation to have security cameras, and metal detectors, among other measures to protect clients’ and workers’ health and well-being.
These distinctions have awoken the interest of international student agencies and have been praised by consulates and other governmental and non-governmental organizations, given the protection and security they provide to young clubbers.
In this regard, precisely Sutton Barcelona, where the events under investigation occurred, is in the process of implementing the Triple Excellence in Nightlife, "Denoting and confirming their firm commitment to the fight against cases of sexual violence", as explained by Joaquim Boadas.
Sutton Barcelona and its impeccable and exemplary response
On the other hand, we want to highlight that Sutton Barcelona and its employees, acted impeccably and exemplarily on the night of the unfortunate event. Sutton’s employees and management cared for the victim from the outset and notified the police and emergency services while reporting the incident.
Thus, the nightclub, in addition to being in the process of implementing international measures and protocols to fight against these cases, has also implemented the protocol to prevent, detect and tend to sexual assaults at concerts and nightlife spaces, promoted by Barcelona City Hall and which bears the name "No Callem" (We won’t keep quiet) based on which they acted impeccably, as pointed out by the General Secretary Joaquim Boadas.
INA boosts its fight against sexual assault worldwideINA boosts its fight against sexual assault worldwide
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INA boosts its fight against sexual assault worldwide INA includes drink spiking prevention in its safety seal Venues such as Ushuaïa Ibiza and Hï Ibiza renew their trust in INA and show their compromise towards promoting excellence and safety in nightlife spaces |
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(BARCELONA, SPAIN) April 27, 2022 The International Nightlife Association’s (INA) main objective is to promote safety, quality, and service excellence in nightlife to increase safety and client satisfaction and at the same time improve the image of the nightlife sector, by offering the necessary tools for nightlife entrepreneurs to gain prestige while continuing to offer a world-class service. For this reason, the INA has decided to boost its fight against sexual assault and drink spiking in nightlife spaces by extending the requirements to obtain the International Nightlife Safety Certified (INSC). INSC is one of the seals that make up the Triple Excellence in Nightlife, the most important nightlife distinction evaluating the safety, quality, and excellence in nightclubs worldwide. Under the umbrella of the safety seal, as a novelty, the INA has incorporated a new element to prevent drink spiking. Recently the INA has partnered with two companies, NightCap, to offer reusable drink spiking prevention scrunchies and StopTopps, to offer disposable foil lids that will both allow nightlife users to cover drinks. The World’s Best Clubs renew the Triple Excellence in Nightlife The Triple Excellence in Nightlife is currently being renewed by venues in the list of The World’s 100 Best Clubs such as Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel, Hï Ibiza (Current World’s Best Club), Shôko Barcelona, Bling Bling Barcelona, Shôko Madrid, DC-10 Ibiza, Opium Barcelona, Carpe Diem Lounge Club, and Pacha Barcelona. On the other hand, other world renowned venues such as Theatro Marrakech (Morocco), Sutton (Barcelona, Spain) Level 27 (Warsaw, Poland), Port du Soleil (Gothenburg, Sweden), Papillon Club (Platja d’Aro, Spain), Bootshaus (Cologne, Germany), and Sala Gold (Málaga, Spain) have recently renewed or obtained the Gold Membership becoming a recommended club of the organization. Nevertheless, this is not the only measure included in the International Nightlife Safety Certified seal to prevent sexual harassment and sexual assault in nightlife spaces since a few years back we introduced an international protocol to prevent sexual assault known as ASK FOR ANGELA, imported from the UK and which comes from the term Angel. Specific training for the venue’s staff The implementation of this protocol also incorporates training for all the staff of the premises since, as has been observed, the role of each nightlife worker as well as their strategic position at all times -even the cloakroom staff-, can be decisive in avoiding sexual assault. For this reason, this training is given by nightlife safety experts to all the venue’s staff accompanied by a practical explanation that helps them to be able to detect this type of situation. Also among other elements incorporated in this safety seal are cardiac resuscitators, metal detectors at the entrances, a certificate of structural integrity, a coin-operated breathalyzer at the exit, and other safety measures make up the seal. Camilo Ospina, Vice President of the International Nightlife Association stated, “The future of our industry is dedicated to promoting safety, quality, and excellence in nightlife venues and do so through the international seals by showing our commitment to these matters and the community”. Joaquim Boadas, Secretary-General said, “It’s an honor and a cause for celebration to see that international renown clubs renew the international seals, serving as an example for other venues to follow and contributing to the improvement of the image of the global nightlife industry. The nightlife industry is truly demonstrating its commitment to safety, quality, and excellence”. |
