Beds and Bars has partnered with safety social network SafeUP to create a more secure, accessible environment for women in venues across Europe. Belushi’s Bars and St Christopher’s Inns hostels will become ‘Safe Places’ for women using the SafeUP app, and both customers and staff will be encouraged to join SafeUP’s growing community.
SafeUP, founded in 2019, is on a mission to build a powerful network in which every woman feels more safe. Women joining the community gain access to an app which enables users to call specially trained local women Guardians, see ‘Safe Spaces’ nearby, and apply to become a Guardian themselves.
Beds and Bars staff will benefit from specialised training developed by SafeUP which helps to raise awareness and prevent incidences of sexual harassment, as well as providing tools for employees to become active bystanders and support those who feel unsafe.
Customers at Belushi’s Bars and St Christopher’s Inns hostels will see posters across the venues introducing SafeUP’s work and including a QR code to download the safety network app. For women and girls in new, foreign cities SafeUP’s Guardians can be a much-needed reassurance, as this SafeUP member found;
“I was alone on a business trip in a foreign city. Feeling desperate, I decided to use the app - and it worked! A nice guardian asked me if everything was fine and made sure I was okay.”
Last year, over 80% of women responding to a YouGov survey said they wanted more safety procedures in bars and pubs. Beds and Bars’ core values include safety and security, but the organisation realises more needs to be done to protect women across the hospitality industry;
“Whilst we’re proud of how inclusive our venues already are, we recognise that there is always room for improvement in how we create a safe and welcoming environment - as well as how we provide useful information on how to travel a city or country with safety in mind - for women and girls especially. That’s why we’re delighted to partner with SafeUP and spread the word about their safety network which has the very real potential to save lives.” - Sophie Herbert, Director of Marketing, Beds and Bars.
Neta Schreiber, CEO and Co-founder of SafeUP, said; “SafeUP is here in order to unite women under the common goal of mutual protection, safety and empowerment. Every woman deserves the right to feel that she is in control of her destiny - to travel the world fearlessly; to go dancing in a nightclub, or even simply to go on a walk late at night. Together with Beds and Bars we are raising awareness of the issue at hand and providing women across Europe with SafePlaces that are available 24/7.”