“The safety of women and all customers engaging in the nighttime economy needs to be prioritised.”
Nightclub staff in Ireland are set to be trained to help prevent violence against women and vulnerable people.
The new initiative was launched on Wednesday by Minister for Culture Catherine Martin. All workers in night-time industries are encouraged to take part in the training courses, which begin from next week.
The courses inform workers of their responsibilities and duty of care, while training them on what actions to take to reduce risk. The main focus will be on safeguarding, vulnerability management and preventing violence against women.
It comes after The Night-Time Economy Taskforce Report, published in September 2021, highlighted issues of public safety and suggested ways that current structures could improve and strengthen safety measures.
Night-time sector workers📢
I've launched a training initiative to help safeguard the vulnerable and prevent violence against women
New training courses will start next week in response to the Night- Time Recovery Taskforce report recommendations https://t.co/NK7RTURyTd
— Catherine Martin TD (@cathmartingreen) March 2, 2022
Minister Catherine Martin said: “The need to provide a safe environment for all those who work and socialise in our towns and cities is so important and with that in mind, my Department is funding a series of vulnerability training courses for the nighttime Economy sector.
“I want to encourage all businesses, such as pubs, nightclubs, restaurants and all those engaged in the nighttime economy to sign up and take part in this vulnerability training initiative.
“The safety of women and all customers engaging in the nighttime economy needs to be prioritised.
“People should feel safe when they are out socialising at night without the fear of violence or harassment and that’s why it is important that staff are trained, so they can provide assistance for anyone who finds themselves in a difficult or intimidating situation.”
The initiative has been developed in partnership with the Licensed Vintners Association, Vintners Federation of Ireland, Restaurant Association of Ireland, Give Us the Night, the County and City Management Association, the Department of Justice and Gardaí.
Training will be delivered via Zoom and is open to any person, business or venue operating or working in the night-time economy.
Those interested in signing up for the course can do so here.
