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Dwell Music Alternate Weblog
Our newest publish is by Rosemary Lucy Hill, Senior Lecturer in Media and Common Tradition, College of Huddersfield. Right here she outlines analysis into sexual violence and harassment at gigs, and introduces the information that emerged from it about the way to write a ‘safer areas’ coverage.
TL;DR: safer areas insurance policies are actually helpful; right here’s our Information on the way to write one.
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Proper now music venues are combating for his or her lives. Slivers of hope in placing on gigs once more are tied in with fascinated with how to take action safely.
While we contemplate viewers security from covid, different types of security have to be remembered. Violence and sexual harassment have been a pernicious a part of the gig expertise, particularly for ladies, for a few years. Going to a gig generally is a distinctly unsafe expertise, resulting in long-term trauma, lack of neighborhood and lack of a musical life. For musicians it could possibly imply a reconsideration of profession selections.
This second, then, presents a possibility to mirror on how we’d enhance security by way of lowering sexual violence and harassment, and selling equality in gig going.
My workforce and I’ve been researching the impacts of sexual violence at gigs, and what we are able to do to mitigate them. We found that some venues are superb at coping with violence, however others felt at sea when an incident occurred. They didn’t know the way to reply for the perfect.
Safer areas insurance policies may be useful for workers in coping with sexual harassment and violence, particularly if workers have additionally obtained good coaching. Insurance policies can present consistency so everybody within the venue is on the identical web page. They’re good for audiences and musicians too, as they supply extra details about the way to behave or the way to get assist if one thing goes flawed.
However for all that, we discovered a variety of selection amongst current insurance policies: some lengthy, some brief, some complicated, some as distilled as ‘Don’t be a dick’ (as if everybody is aware of what ‘being a dick’ is). This implies it’s fairly patchy by way of how helpful insurance policies are, or how straightforward they’re to learn and perceive.
We additionally discovered that individuals who run venues are actually pushed for time. They won’t really feel assured about writing a safer areas coverage. One of many venue managers we spoke to stated,
“I’m not the knowledgeable on rights and insurance policies, it’s not my factor. I’m actually good at working issues easily and effectively, however writing isn’t [one of my strengths].”
We wished to assist resolve this drawback with a simple information to writing a coverage and a template to go together with it. So we created the 5 Step Information to Writing a Safer Areas Coverage for Your Venue. We drew on our analysis and consulted with venue managers, promoters and anti-violence charities to ensure that the information is sensible and a optimistic expertise for customers.
Our Information units out 5 steps to steer venue managers and their groups via a dialogue of what to place of their coverage and the way to write it. That is in regards to the beliefs of the workers and what sort of venue they’re working or need to create. It asks about sensible measures already in place and what extra may very well be achieved (and what assist could be wanted to attain it).
Our analysis discovered that a variety of safer areas insurance policies use fairly unfavorable language: they’re about what folks shouldn’t be doing in a venue, not what they need to be doing (having enjoyable!). We suggest that insurance policies are framed in optimistic language. This encourages folks to share within the values of the venue and to take constructive motion.
Our pattern coverage is explicitly framed on this optimistic language and units out clearly what viewers members can do to get pleasure from themselves safely and with out impinging on others’ enjoyable. For instance,
“Say ‘excuse me’ when shifting via the group, somewhat than pushing or touching folks. A few faucets on the shoulder could also be okay in the event that they haven’t heard you”
It’s also clear about what the venue supplies and the way workers will reply if an incident of violence does happen. Sadly, incidents do occur even in venues with insurance policies – however understanding how greatest to take care of it could possibly scale back the trauma for these on the receiving finish.
The Information contains hyperlinks to additional sources, reminiscent of anti-violence coaching organisation Good Night time Out Marketing campaign, and free entry to journal articles about our analysis.
We hope that the 5 Step Information to Writing a Safer Areas Coverage will show a precious instrument for venues and promoters as they foster security at gigs. It’s our philosophy that the gig expertise needs to be enjoyable for everybody. Clear steering for audiences and assist from venues can promote that. We consider this as a ‘framework for enjoyable’ during which everybody’s freedom to have enjoyable is being supported, so long as it doesn’t impede another person’s enjoyment.
Please share the Information with venues and promoters that you simply assume will discover it helpful. And when you use it and prefer it, please tell us! Twitter@musichealthy or r.l.hill@hud.ac.uk
References
Hill, R. L., Hesmondhalgh, D., & Megson, M. (2020). Sexual violence at reside music occasions: experiences, responses and prevention. Worldwide Journal of Cultural Research, 23(3), 368–384.
Hill, R. L., & Megson, M. (2020). In defence of safer areas: punk, privilege and safer areas insurance policies. Punk & Put up-Punk, 9(1), 59–76.
Rosemary Lucy Hill, Senior Lecturer in Media and Common Tradition, College of Huddersfield, UK; Twitter@rosemarylhill
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