New Initiative Teaches Alcohol-Serving Establishments How to Prevent Sexual Assault

Safe Bar is a national initiative originally founded in Washington, D.C. It has recently helped alcohol-serving locations in Tennessee intervene in moments of sexual assault. (Photo: Safe Bar/Sexual Assault Center)

A new initiative called Safe Bar has emerged and its main goal is to help educate the staff of alcohol-serving establishments on how to respond to and prevent situations of sexual assault in Tennessee.

“I think it’s important to feel safe in the environments that you work in, that you play in, that you sleep in,” Crime Rape Victims Crisis Center Community Engagement Manager Arriell Gipson Martin stated in a report by Local Memphis. “When we have a safe environment, we’re able to step outside of our comfort zones.”

According to Safe Bar, the program’s efforts start with recognizing the role alcohol plays in sexual assault. From there, bar owners, staff and bystanders can work together to identify and intervene safely in moments of sexual violence.

“1 in 5 people report that they have been sexually assaulted and we know that that is still a significantly underreported number,” Martin mentioned in the report.

Safe Bar provides bars, restaurants and night clubs with the proper tools and resources to keep their establishments safe after teams complete their learning objectives.

These alcohol-serving locations are then supplied with drug-detecting coasters, posters with a crisis hotline number and a binder of information and resources for patrons in need of help.

The program also provides window clings to signal that the establishment has been trained to act if problems arise.

Safe Bar is in partnership with the the Tennessee Department of Health and the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence.

The initiative aims to make nightlife safer for everyone.

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