Key voices converge in North West to discuss tackling night-time economy violence against women

In a fringe event, hosted at Revolution bar in Liverpool, leading voices from politics, advocacy and business came together to discuss collaborative solutions to help tackle violence against women in night-time spaces.

The panel consisted of Alex Davies-Jones MP, the Minister of Violence Against Women and Girls and Victims, Anthea Sully, CEO of White Ribbon UK, Saskia Garner from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, Eren Bessim from Safer Business Network CIC, and Mark Balaam, CEO of safeguarding brand, imabi, which also sponsored the event.

In front of an audience of more than one hundred, which included prominent VAWG activists such as Sharon Gaffka, the group discussed the ongoing challenges in preventing violence against women in night-time venues such as bars, clubs and public spaces, and highlighted successful examples of intervention, prevention and safeguarding efforts.

Speaking on the panel, Alex Davies-Jones MP, who in her ministerial role sits within the Ministry of Justice and has in the past been the recipient of death and rape threats, emphasised the importance of a collective approach, saying: “Tackling these issues needs a full system approach. This isn’t just going to be for the Ministry of Justice to fix or the Home Office to Fix. It’s for every Whitehall department – education, health, DWP, DCMS – but also businesses, society, every single one of us, if we’re to reach our ambitious target of halving violence against women and girls.”

Also commenting, Mark Balaam, CEO of imabi, said: “Violence against women, particularly in night-time economies, remains a serious concern with no sign of abating. It’s vital we work together to create solutions that foster safer environments. Events such as this help us get to grips with the cause of the problem to try and create viable solutions. We’re committed to developing innovative approaches to prevent harm and protect vulnerable individuals.”

The event underscored the need for coordinated action between government, businesses, and communities to create safe environments for women, particularly in spaces that are often vulnerable to violence. It also highlighted how safeguarding technology, such as imabi, can offer real-time, practical support solutions to enable businesses and communities to protect individuals and create safer spaces.

The panel also included Saskia Garner from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, who commented on the underlying problems behind the issue, saying: “The root causes of violence against women and girls lies in misogyny and the normalisation of harmful behaviours towards women. That happens online and in person, so it’s absolutely vital we hold online platforms to account for perpetrators carrying out those behaviours online.”

imabi is set to continue its partnership with White Ribbon UK, as well as the Suzy Lamplugh Trust and other organisations, as it seeks to foster safer spaces for women across all aspects of society, particularly in the night-time economy.

Within its suite of safeguarding apps, imabi also provides imabi Guardian, a dedicated VAWG prevention app, which is free to download. It sits alongside Railway Guardian, the British Transport Police’s award-winning safeguarding app that keeps people safe when travelling by rail. Since its adoption by the British Transport Police, there has been a 51% increase in the number of incidents reported – helping to underline the impact imabi is having on helping to improve societal safeguarding. For more information about imabi, please visit www.imabi.com.

For more information on White Ribbon UK, please visit: https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk/