All London Premier League football clubs sign up to Mayor’s Women’s Night Safety Charter, in a ‘major milestone’ for the campaign
- All seven of London’s Premier League football clubs have now signed up to the Mayor of London’s Women’s Night Safety Charter.
- Chelsea FC is the latest club to pledge their commitment to improving safety for women at night.
- Boots and Tesco are among the businesses who have also signed up to the charter.
- More than 2,100 venues, organisations and businesses across the city have pledged to prioritise women’s night safety.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today (Thursday, 30 November) announced that every Premier League football club in London has signed up to his Women’s Night Safety Charter to make their venues safer, more welcoming and help tackle violence against women and girls.
Arsenal, Brentford, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Chelsea, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur have all now signed up as part of a ‘major milestone’ for the campaign.
Championship side Millwall has also signed up and the Mayor is working with other football, rugby and sports clubs across London to encourage them to follow the Premier League’s lead and sign up to the charter.
Alongside football clubs in London, High street giants Tesco and Boots have also today signed up to the charter and pledged their commitment to taking action to improve safety for women at night – joining a wide range of businesses and organisations across London, including gyms, nightclubs, transport providers, local authorities, shops and restaurants. Signatories are taking a number of practical steps to support the safety of women, including staff training to support vulnerable customers, communications campaigns to encourage reporting and involving women in the design of new programmes to tackle harassment.
It brings the total number of venues signed up to the Charter to 2,143 and is part of the Mayor’s public health approach3 to tackling violence against women and girls in the capital so they feel safe and are safe wherever they are in London day or night.
The latest announcement coincides with the Women’s Night Safety Summit which will be hosted today by London’s Night Czar, Amy Lamé, bringing together signatories to the Charter and showcasing the incredible work being done by organisations across London to champion and promote women’s night safety.
The summit takes place during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence that follow the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November.
The Women’s Night Safety Charter, the first of its kind, was developed to encourage councils, businesses, venues and other organisations to prioritise women’s safety after 6pm. Funding from the Mayor is providing support, training and resources to signatories to help them meet the seven pledges of the Charter.
The Charter is part of the Mayor’s Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy and London’s commitment to the UN Women Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces global initiative. Increased interest in the London model has seen it adopted by other parts of the UK, including Bristol, Exeter, Manchester, Northern Ireland and Sheffield, as well as Melbourne in Australia.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’m thrilled that all London’s Premier League football clubs have signed up to my Women’s Night Safety Charter. It is a major milestone for the campaign.
“They are setting a brilliant example for their fans and staff that misogyny and violence against women and girls won’t be tolerated. We all have a role to play in making London safer and more welcoming for women and girls, and this includes our world-class stadiums and entertainment venues.
“I hope this encourages other businesses and organisations, no matter how big or small, to sign up and help build a safer London for everyone.”
London’s Night Czar, Amy Lamè: “A huge welcome to all London’s Premier League football clubs, Boots and Tesco for signing up to the Women’s Night Safety Charter. They join over 2,100 venues and organisations that want to ensure London is the safest and most welcoming city in the world. Whilst we still have work to do, I hope they inspire other businesses from a range of sectors to sign up and help women and girls feel safe in our city at night.”
Barbara Charone who is on the Board of Directors for both Chelsea FC and it’s Foundation said, “Chelsea FC is proud to play an important role in our community. The signing of the Women’s Night Safety Charter is another way we can ensure a safe and welcoming environment for everybody. We support the Mayor of London in making our city a place where all women of all ages and girls feel confident at night, including at our football ground.”
Tesco UK Head of Security Operations Ashley Brooks said: “Providing a safe environment for our customers and colleagues is our top priority, so we are pleased to support this initiative and provide a safe and welcoming space for the public at Tesco stores across London.”
Notes to editors
1London is a safe city, but too many women feel unsafe when travelling, working or going out at night. Londoners have asked the Night Czar to prioritise women's safety. That's why the Mayor has created a Women’s Night Safety Charter: to make London a city where all women feel confident and welcome at night.
2The charter is part of the Mayor’s Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy and London’s commitment to the UN Women Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces global initiative. The Charter asks organisations who sign up to:
- Nominate a champion within an organisation who actively promotes women’s night safety.
- Demonstrate to staff and customers. that their organisation takes women’s safety at night seriously.
- Encourage reporting by victims and bystanders.
- Train staff to ensure all women who report are believed.
- Train staff to ensure all reports are recorded and responded to.
- Design public spaces and workplaces to make them safer for women at night.
3. Mayor unveils new public health strategy to keep women and girls safe
https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/18m-in-new-investment-announced-today-by-mayor
In support of this public health approach, earlier this year the Mayor launched his ‘Say Maaate to a Mate’ campaign to empower men and boys to say ‘Maaate’ to their mates as a means of challenging sexism and misogyny in society. This campaign recognised that violence against women and girls often starts with words, and we all have a responsibility to challenge the behaviour that can lead to violence and women feeling unsafe.
Sadiq is determined to place a stronger emphasis on partnership working, prevention and education across a wide range of services in London and developed a toolkit with Tender – which is available to every secondary school in London to help pupils recognise and tackle misogynistic behaviour. The Mayor is also investing £17.7m in support services and taking action to rebuild trust and confidence in the police and criminal justice system to ensure victims are supported and empowered to get the justice they deserve.