"Women, and young women in particular, have as much right to enjoy our borough at night as anyone else." Cllr Kadeema Woodbyrne, Islington Council’s Women’s and Girls’ Champion
Islington Labour has declared its commitment to making the borough a safer and more welcoming place for women at night.
Islington is home to a booming night-time economy, but it is essential that women feel safe at night in the borough in order to enjoy, work and travel at night without fear. To further support this aim, an Islington Labour motion passed at Full Council on Thursday 26th September has reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to the Mayor of London’s ‘Women’s Night Safety Charter’.
The Charter, which is led by the Mayor’s Night Czar Amy Lamé, includes seven pledges based on the pillars of reporting, responding, taking responsibility and redesigning public spaces.
Shockingly, 79% of women in London aged 18 to 24 have said they expected inappropriate comments, touching or behaviour on a night out towards them or their friends – 23% of women in London also say they feel unsafe at night.
The Council’s Licensing Policy includes specific requirements for applicants to include safeguards to mitigate against sexual harassment of women in licensed venues. The ‘Ask for Angela’ campaign is also widely promoted in the borough, helping women to use a discreet ‘codeword’ that they can give to staff if they feel unsafe or threatened. However, under Islington Labour’s leadership, the Council is clear that more must be done to make women be and feel safer at night.
The motion calls for the Council to support and deliver on all the pledges within the Women’s Night Safety Charter and to encourage other businesses and organisations in Islington that operate at night to sign-up to the Charter.
Cllr Una O’Halloran, who has been appointed as a champion within the Council to actively promote women’s night safety and put forward the motion, said:
“It is vital that we ensure that all women feel confident enough to access all that Islington has to offer, whatever the time of day or night.
“We will work with businesses and organisations across the borough to make Islington the safest part of the capital for women to enjoy.”
Cllr Kadeema Woodbyrne, Islington Council’s Women’s and Girls’ Champion, seconded the motion and said:
“Women, and young women in particular, have as much right to enjoy our borough at night as anyone else. The fact that so many young women in London expect harassment on a night out is shameful and that’s why we will be promoting this Charter to all our night-time businesses to make Islington the safest night-time destination we can.”