HOW WE CAN WE MAKE FESTIVALS SAFER FOR WOMEN? - Irene Squires
Summer is just around the corner, and we all know what that means — festival season! As excited as we are to get out into nature, enjoy the warmer weather and celebrate with friends, we have to remember that these events are for ALL of us to enjoy.
Unfortunately, festivals are not always safe spaces for women or members of other vulnerable groups. Increasingly, we are hearing of incidents at festivals that need to be avoided. It is our personal responsibility to consider ways in which our behaviour may impact on the enjoyment of others and moderate ourselves to limit the risk of harm to others.
Music festivals have been getting a bad reputation lately, with media attention focusing on a small number of unfortunate incidents including drug overdoses, sexual assaults, domestic violence and deaths. However, this simply highlights the importance of harm reduction, and provides an opportunity for us to redefine how our community is perceived.
The most effective way we can push back against the negative stereotypes some people hold about the doof and festival scenes is by setting a positive example! Music festivals can be safe, transformative, and enjoyable for all — but only if we make them so. Here are the top three ways in which we can reduce instances of sexual based harm, facilitate safe spaces for women at music festivals, and develop a community we are all proud of.
1. UNDERSTAND CONSENT
Despite the excitement and the lack of inhibition that often accompanies drug use at festivals, it is important to make sure that we seek consent before getting intimate with anyone — this includes touching, hugging, kissing, groping, and of course any sexual activity.
One way in which we can ensure our own behaviour is respectful of others is by following the five pillars of consent. Consent must be: revocable, conscious, enthusiastic, verbal and ongoing. In so doing we ensure all parties are agreeable and we aren’t overstepping personal boundaries.
While this is bare minimum of respect you should show someone, it also helps set standards in the community about what is and isn’t acceptable. If you’re hooking up with someone, they need to be as enthusiastic as you are before proceeding and throughout the experience. Remember – someone can revoke (take back) consent at any time, and that’s totally fine! By holding ourselves up to these standards, we can make sure that everyone is on the same page and no one feels like they’ve been taken advantage of.
2. BE AN ADVOCATE FOR WOMEN
If you see something that doesn’t seem right, you have a responsibility to do something. If you see someone in distress, ask them if they need help. Help can be sought from organisers or security, but ideally the community should support one another and provide a culture of security.
It is our collective responsibility to establish a community ethos and define acceptable behaviour in our community, including condemning any violent or antisocial behaviour. Silence only feeds the belief that inappropriate behaviour is acceptable and reinforces victim’s vulnerability. So, if you see something that doesn’t feel right, speak up and seek help where appropriate.
3. ENCOURAGE BEST PRACTICE
One of the greatest powers we have as festival attendees is through unity. Through solidarity on these issues we can send a message to fellow partygoers and organisers alike, and stand up for safe spaces for women and other vulnerable groups. It’s important to stand up for others, because doing so spreads and legitimises the message that inappropriate sexual behaviour will not be tolerated in our community.
If we lead by example, we can promote a culture of security, which supports and empowers everyone to speak up against unacceptable behaviour. Focusing on these issues, however unpleasant, highlights our values to party organisers. Getting organisers onboard is crucial, as they are the ones in a position to implement structural harm reduction measures. Structural harm reduction includes care spaces, safe spaces, educational workshops, and improved lighting and infrastructure.
These tips are just a starting point, but if we all respect the five pillars of consent, music festivals will be a much safer and happier place. In order to keep the events we love on the calendar, we need to work together to recast public perception of music festivals. As we know, ‘the greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members’ (Coretta Scott King) and we have the power to spread love and compassion throughout the scene.
THE FIVE PILLARS OF CONSENT
Obtaining consent is essential to any sort of sexual encounter. Consent must be:
Revocable – consent can be withdrawn at any stage, and any party can change their mind. Individuals have the right to withdraw consent, even if they have previously consented. An individual may consent to one act, but not another, and has the right to revoke their consent under these conditions
Conscious – Individuals must be in a state in which they can provide verbal consent, which means someone who is under the effects of drugs or alcohol, is asleep or is non-responsive are unable to provide consent to sexual acts. Individuals that are under the effect of drugs and/or alcohol cannot legally provide consent and are able to press charges of sexual assault
Enthusiastic – Consent must not be coerced or forced; an individual must freely provide consent without pressure from others.
Verbal – Consent needs to be vocalised, and not merely obtained through gestures and/or signals. The absence of someone saying ‘No’ is not reasonable grounds for consent, but rather we should seek positive affirmation of participation. In this way we avoid confusion and misinterpretation, enabling a clear consensus on whether an individual is consenting or not
Ongoing – Consent must be continuous. Best practice encourages us to regularly check in with one another and affirm that each individual is consenting
Irene Squires is a party animal, a sociologist and a writer. Her most recent research focuses on gender performativity at “underground dance parties”, and she can regularly be found running workshops on safety, respect and consent at doofs. Irene loves fast psytrance and hates the patriarchy.