Published
Tue, May 17, 2022, 11:00
- Boomtown Fair, Lost Village, Parklife and more have signed up to the campaign, spearheaded by The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF).
103 festivals in the UK have committed to tackling sexual violence at their events in 2022 and beyond.
Originally launched in 2017, The Association of Independent Festivals' (AIF) Safer Spaces campaign has updated its charter of best practice, which follows a survivor-led approach and was developed with experts at Rape Crisis England & Wales, Good Night Out, Safe Gigs For Women, Girls Against and UN Women.
The charter includes guidance on issues such as how to handle allegations of sexual harassment, assault and violence; how to report incidents on-site; and how to promote the act of consent during sex.
In 2018, market research company YouGov found that 43 percent of women festivalgoers under 40 had faced unwanted sexual behaviour at a festival. According to Rape Crisis, five in six women (and four in five men) who are raped don't report it to the police.
"Festivals are microcosms of society and sexual violence is a problem that persists in our society," said the AIF's Phoebe Rodwell. "Our understanding and approaches to tackling the issue are evolving all the time. That's why it's important that we renew the Safer Spaces campaign in 2022 with up-to-date messaging, resources and practices, to prevent sexual violence and promote a survivor-led approach, helping festival organisers to fulfil their duty of care at events."
Among the festivals to sign up to the campaign are Boomtown Fair, Lost Village Festival, Parklife , Snowbombing, El Dorado, Hospitality Weekend in the Woods, Love Saves The Day, Strawberries & Creem, The Great Escape and We Are FSTVL.
Find out more about the campaign here, and revisit our 2021 feature on how to make clubbing in London safer.
Photo: Joey Thompson