Charter signals a safe night out

OVER the next few months our engagement team will be out and about in Exeter city centre asking businesses and organisations to sign up to Exeter’s Safety of Women at Night Charter.

This charter encourages venues to take practical steps together to make Exeter safer at night for women and girls.

It has been developed as part of Exeter’s commitment to keeping the city a safe place, where women feel confident and safe at night.

It is a voluntary pledge to prioritise the safety of women in Exeter, and to acknowledge it is the responsibility of all of us to take practical steps together to keep our city safe for everyone.

Reducing violence

The charter unites organisations in developing a whole-city approach to reducing violence against women and girls and keeping them safe at night in Exeter.

The charter was devised after 86% of women taking part told us why they feel unsafe in the city as part of a survey carried out in Exeter. By signing the charter your organisation commits to making Exeter a safer place for women at night. Together, we can build a strong partnership, committed to making a positive change in our city.

Organisations that do sign up will be supported to achieve the seven pledges which are key to its success.

Each will receive a toolkit which time revellers will be encouraged to use venues that display the SWaN charter poster like Turtle Bay is packed full of ideas, prompts and signposts. These are practical steps towards change. Some will take time, but others can be achieved very quickly.

Safer Exeter will help those who sign up to deliver on that commitment by providing regular updates regarding awareness raising courses and training, signposting to specialist providers and guidance, including updates to the toolkit and sharing understanding and learning about ‘what works’ nationally.

We’re building a strong network dedicated to making a positive change to women’s and girls’ experiences of Exeter at night. Whatever an organization already does for Exeter at night, there will be something they can do to better support the safety of women and girls. As more venues start to sign up to the charter we will start to promote the benefits of people using those premises when they are enjoying a night out.

Safe places

It is just as important to us that venues see signing the charter as a positive way to attract people through their doors as it is for customers to see those venues as safe places to enjoy their nights out in the city.

If you don’t want to wait for our team to pay you a visit you can find out more here https:// exeter.gov.uk/clean-safe-city/ community-safety/safety-ofwomen-at-night-charter/aboutthe-swan-charter/