The Council and democracy Women's Night-time Safety Charter

The charter

Introduction

The Women’s Safety Charter is an initiative that we've introduced to improve the safety for all women in the night-time economy. It's specifically aimed at employers with a female workforce, who are at work between 6pm and 6am and will enable organisations to prioritise the safety of women - both workers and customers - in Manchester’s thriving night-time economy.

This is a practical guide to accompany a training programme - inviting Manchester businesses to take a zero-tolerance stance on the harassment of women. It is designed to encourage all Manchester employers to make a commitment and enable systemic change for prioritising safety of women in the workplace and for customers. This charter has been designed with the night-time economy in mind, but is beneficial to the entire 24-hour economy, including anyone who works in and enjoys the city at night. Find out what you can do to help by reading the toolkit.

The charter pledge

Businesses pledge their support to the seven commitments:

1. Appoint a Champion: appointing a named contact for this work, who will champion and drive forward any action taken
2. Communicate: positive, public/staff-facing communications campaign, both online and in your space(s)
3. Support your staff: create routes for reporting unacceptable behaviour while at work and supporting cultural change
4. Support the public: create routes for reporting unacceptable behaviour while using your service or space at night
5. Training and responding: staff training on the issue, including what to say and do, what not to say and do, and any relevant policies
6. Training: recording: staff training on information-sharing and appropriate recording of details
7. Designing for safety: audit your spaces and adapt them to promote a safer environment and reduce risk of crime

Download a copy of the charter

See which organisations have already signed up to the Manchester Women's Night-time Safety Charter

Read more about available resources.

This Charter is inspired by the pledges created for the Mayor of London’s Women’s Night Safety Charter.