Fabric ♥ ♀

London superclub Fabric has launched a new campaign which aims to help reduce harassment faced by women in the club.

Launched to coincide with Friday’s International Women’s Day, the If You See Something Say Something initiative encourages clubbers to report to staff any harassment they witness or suffer. The club has also launched a new section on its website explaining its harassment policy.

The campaign is being run in conjunction with Hollaback, a movement dedicated to ending harassment in public places.

As lamentable as it may be that such a campaign is even necessary, Fabric should be applauded for taking a stand against harassment. The club states: “Sadly over 90% of women around the world have experienced some form of harassment throughout their lives and we’re aware that unfortunately, our club is not exempt from this.”

Admitting that a problem exists is a brave move on the club’s part; many businesses are content to turn a blind eye to similar issues for fear that acknowledging them will harm their own reputation.

The problem is by no means exclusive to Fabric, but inevitably the issue will be exacerbated and intensified in larger, busier clubs.

The limits of acceptable behaviour in clubs are a grey area; each of us has a personal threshold. One person’s idea of acceptable behaviour may well be another’s idea of harassment. The issue is ultimately a question of consent. Any behaviour which makes a person – whether female or male – feel harassed, exploited or simply uncomfortable is clearly unacceptable.

Hopefully others will follow Fabric’s lead and increase efforts to make clubs a safer, less threatening environment for everyone. This is an issue which should be discussed more openly. The combination of dark rooms, loud music and intoxicants doesn’t give anyone the right to grope, grab or otherwise harass anyone else.

Is Fabric’s campaign enough? Do clubs have a greater burden of responsibility to protect the personal rights of clubbers, both male and female?