Campaign to make Cardiff safer launched with backing of women’s safety campaigner

Stephen Price

A campaign aiming to make our capital city a safer place for women has launched after a survey revealed that one in five women do not go out after it gets dark in Cardiff.

The Women’s Safety Charter has been backed by model and campaigner Jess Davies, who has signed up to become a Women’s Safety Charter ambassador, to coincide with the launch of the Women’s Safety Charter.

Training for businesses

Speaking of her involvement in the campaign, Jess said: “I think that this is a great initiative, it’s good to know that there is help out there for women. I’m really passionate about women’s safety. Unfortunately, I’ve experienced a lot of public sexual harassment in my time.”

She continued: “Sexual harassment is a spectrum. It can take many forms. It can be sexual jokes, it can be following someone, touching someone without consent. It can be a lot of sexual comments. This charter will be able to train businesses, so they’ll have a champion in each business that knows exactly what to do when a woman comes in and asks for Angela.”

The campaign, which launched this week, aims to make all businesses and the public in-and-around Cardiff aware of the charter, why it is important and how they can become allies and work towards Charter status.  

In 2021, the most common crimes in Cardiff were violence and sexual offences, with 12,158 recorded offences.

Zero tolerance

A recent survey of women aged 18 and over who live in Cardiff found that one-in-five women do not go out after it gets dark in the city. 

The survey highlighted that when women do venture into the city after dark, 48% do so in a group and only 12% would go out alone. 40% of these women indicated that the reason for this is that they are too afraid and feel unsafe. 

Carolyn Brownell, Chief Executive (Interim) of FOR Cardiff, said: “The importance of the charter being 24/7 was highlighted during our research, which showed that women often feel most vulnerable during working hours, especially when opening up early in the morning or walking into a car park after work in the winter, when its dark.”

She added: “The introduction of this first-of-its-kind charter will support the women and vulnerable people in Cardiff at all hours of the day and night, with the seven commitments we outline giving employers the tools they need to address how they make their working environment safer for all.”

There are seven commitments for the Charter, which will support businesses in training staff and supporting the public to create a zero-tolerance culture around sexual harassment in shops and public spaces across Cardiff.

FOR Cardiff are also championing the introduction of a Cardiff-specific, bilingual Ask for Angela campaign, which is being introduced in time for the festive period.

The concept revolves around a simple ask at the bar – ‘is Angela here?’ – which will immediately indicate to venue staff that a patron needs discreet help and support and will take appropriate action.

This action can include calling a taxi, separating patrons from an uncomfortable situation, or contacting the authorities if necessary.

Carolyn said: “By also championing the introduction of a bilingual, cohesive, Cardiff-based Ask for Angela campaign, we’re also promoting a simple first step in bringing the charter into the hospitality sector and look forward to supporting businesses across the city in implementing it.”