What do you think of this - Glasgow club "We don't allow females to leave on their own".

[AgentProvocateur]

Here

And in case you can't read it without signing in:
RePlay near Central Station is one of the city clubs that has adopted "lone women policies".

They no longer allow women who appear vulnerable ? drunk ? to leave the club on their own without a taxi or a friend to pick them up.

Mark Donlevy is business development manager for RePlay's owners, Stefan King's G1.

He said: "We don't allow females to leave on their own. There are people outside who try and approach such girls.

"We would rather keep intoxicated customers on our premises than have them go away.

"If we don't have a safe venue customers won't come back."

I'm in two minds about it. If I had a teenage daughter, I'd probably be quite pleased that they're adopting this policy. However, I think I'd be equally enraged if I wasn't allowed to leave. This information is taken from a longer, excellent, article about what the police and clubs and pubs are doing to keep the city centre safe at night - taxi queue wardens, street pastors with flip-flops and phones etc.

[Frans1980]

So now women are children who can't be let out on their own and need supervision to prevent them coming to harm?

And if a woman does leave alone does that mean if anything happens to her it's "her fault" because she was alone?

[LynetteScavo]

Isn't it false imprisonment?

What if the woman has not cash? Do they pay for her taxi home?

[plantsitter]

I don't see how they could legally make anyone stay. I would be really annoyed if someone thought they knew better than me, an adult, about what was best for me.

[Startailoforangeandgold]

That's called false imprisonment and I'd have liked to see them stopping my rugby playing BF

[musicmadness]

Honestly, as someone who does go out clubbing I'd be quite happy about a club having this policy - though I think it should apply to men as well. Purely on a safety level letting people who are extremely drunk walk off by themselves is dangerous, not just the risk of an attack but the risk of finding yourself completely lost in the freezing cold somewhere.

I remember as a student finding a friend lying in the middle of the road passed out after she walked off without us realising. She could easily have been run over or choked on her own vomit before anyone saw her. If it stops situations like that I'd be all for it.

Even if I was pissed off at the time that someone stopped me leaving I'd be bloody grateful the next morning!

I don't see it as it meaning that if something happened to a woman it was her fault, I see it as trying to prevent something happening at all. It is obviously the attackers fault if someone is attacked, never the victims.

*I am assuming this means people who are literally struggling to stand by themselves rather than being a bit tipsy and I think it should apply to men as well.

[edam]

They shouldn't be serving people who have had too much to drink anyway. (I know clubs do but in legal terms they shouldn't.)

I know they are trying to do a good thing and keep customers safe, but there are loads of pitfalls - they have no right to stop someone leaving, it could cause a row (drunken people are not known for their patience...), if they let someone leave who they think is merely a bit merry but who then has an accident or is the victim of crime it'd look bad for them...

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

It's not new. When I was a student at Bradford Uni back in the eighties it wasn't long after the Yorkshire Ripper had been active. I remember that the Student Union organised minibuses and taxis for female freshers rather than let them make their own way home. Older students were expected to look out for themselves but were still advised to pair up for safety. If I go out with friends we always accompany each other home. Don't think we should treat well-meant efforts to keep people safe as offensive.

[Lottapianos]

They could try talking about women instead of 'girls' or (shudder) 'females'. it just sounds to me like its reinforcing the idea that it's down to women to prevent assaults.

[EdithWeston]

If they are clear about their policy, people can choose to go there or not.

I think it's well intentioned; for it does appear to be rooted in concern for customers well-being even after they have left the premises. It would however be better to have the police deal with those individuals outside the club who are actually causing the harassment problems.

If part of a multiple-pronged approach to make the streets safer, it could be a good thing. I remember the effect the Ripper had on my generation; and it is good to consider how to minimise risk when there is a known problem (then, a serial killer attacking lone women, here it seems a regular problem with harassment). It may not be the right solution for all (for the false imprisonment reasons described above), but it may lead to one.

[hackmum]

The trouble lies with the assumption that a woman will be safe in a taxi or with a friend. Women, as we all know, do get raped by taxi drivers - Worboys is just the most notorious example. There was also that case at Aberystwyth University a few years ago where a very drunk student was accompanied home from the student union by a man tasked with protecting her, and she later reported him for rape. (The case fell through at trial because apparently although she was semi-unconscious, she couldn't actually remember saying "No".)

[roughtyping]

I know of someone who was attacked outside a nightclub - kicked In the head etc - in front of bouncers in Glasgow and they did nothing. Said it was outside the club so not their business.

I honestly don't know how I feel about this. On one hand they are trying to keep women safe, but on the other it's obviously playing into the whole 'women need to change their behaviour, men will rape/attack' issue. I live in Glasgow and wouldn't leave a club alone anyway so it's a bit of a non-issue for me but I can imagine it could be really insulting. Especially with how rude and crap some of the bouncers are

[roughtyping]

Sorry, should have said it was a woman that was attacked.

[roughtyping]

music I agree that if it goes ahead it should apply to men too. Someone I went to school with went missing, last sighting was leaving a club alone. His body was found weeks later :(

[Lovecat]

YY roughtyping, that's how my brother died :( Mind you, in his case it was the bouncer who threw him out of the club who 'allegedly' robbed and killed him. And then fled the country :(

[roughtyping]

Oh lovecat :(

[Lovecat]

Thanks rough :)

[Mrsjay]

YOu know what maybe the area the club is in has high crime and a few dodgy characters approaching drunk women , I am all for women being free to do as they please and I do think the club are trying to be responsible and look after these pissed women who are so drunk they can't get home this isn't about looking after the little girlies it is about safety IMO,

[mrscumberbatch]

The area is Union st, so it has high footfall at night due to being on one of the main taxi/bus ranks. It has a good police and cctv presence.

This club, however, is infamous for being full of underage and young teen girls who get totally ratarsed and try and pick fights. Inside it is like a meatmarket.

I'm not surprised that they're trying to raise their profile as they are known for being a bit of a young/rough club.

[Mrsjay]

what mrscumberbatch said all areas have 'that' club that is notorious for underagers and a bit rough ours is a nightmare dd1 (19) wont go near it I think the glasgow club is probably trying to clear up it's reputation,

[solidgoldbrass]

The problem is this club stating they won't allow women to leave the club unaccompanied. They have absolutely no legal right to prevent someone from leaving the premises unless that person has committed a crime and they are waiting for the police - and if they try to lock a woman up or physically hold on to her then they are breaking the law themselves. Also, it does give off strong implications that women are minors, incapable of making decisions for themselves, and that they shouldn't be allowed out without a male owner.

Finally, this sort of thing is basically a rapist magnet: a lot of rapists get access to women by appointing themselves a woman's protector against all the other rapists in order to get her alone. So any kind of official Man To Take Lone Drunk Woman Home role would be the sort of job rapists would be queuing up for.

[ttosca]

Absolutely, solid. Agree with everything you said.

[EduCated]

I agree with Solid too. If they have aolicy of strongly encouraging women and men who are very drunk to not leave alone that would be one thing, but not allowing? Different matter altogether.

[solidgoldbrass]

Oh by all means advise people who are shitfaced to call a cab or a friend, or sit down quietly somewhere and sip water, that's helpful and sensible (and there is a limit to how much licensed premises can do to stop people drinking too much: if their friends buy them drinks or even spike their drinks, or if they're good at sneaking their own supplies in..)
Some of the recent watch-your-drinking campaigns have at least been refreshingly non-sexist, aiming at both males and females, and emphasising the indignity of being sick on yourself, falling over and hurting yourself etc.
But this particular one is all wrong. It's just rape mythology in action.

[Pixel]

Hmm, not sure. I expect just as many 'females' put themselves in danger by leaving a club with someone they have only just met (especially if drunk), but I suppose they would be 'allowed' to leave as they are accompanied. For all the staff know they could be old friends who have met up in the club. I suppose it's nice that the owners are making an effort to protect vulnerable girls but they can only go so far and they are going to have quite a lot of stroppy girls on their hands if they try telling them they aren't 'allowed' to leave. I can just imagine the scenes!

[YoullLaughAboutItOneDay]

I am sure I have read somewhere that in this particular situation, it is men who are statistically most likely to come to some form of 'harm' than women. Men are more likely to be beaten up, robbed, get in a fight, try to walk home and step in front of a car, etc. Can't find the statistics.

I think a responsible club should be encouraging the very drunk to find a safe way home. But that's men and women. I cannot abide this 'women as children' approach to personal safety.