Developing New Partnerships and Exchanging Knowledge to Understand Perpetrators of Sexual Harassment and VAWG in the Night Time Economy
Lead Research Organisation:
Northumbria University
Department Name: Fac of Arts, Design and Social Sciences
Abstract
The project will develop detailed insight into the opportunistic and situational context in which sexual harassment and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in the night-time economy (NTE) is perpetrated in Newcastle upon Tyne. The project engages existing and new stakeholders through working with statutory partners, new grassroots community projects, and key informants from victims and mens' groups. Through its work the project will forge new partnerships and important opportunities for knowledge exchange. These will 'fill the gap' in terms of understanding the dynamics and character of the significant and complex criminal and harms associated with this emerging aspect of VAWG.This will help identify new opportunities for preventive intervention and develop insight to inform awareness-raising campaigns that can seek to challenge normative cultures that enable offending and harmful behaviours to occur.
The project will develop detailed insight into the opportunistic and situational context in which sexual harassment and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in the night-time economy (NTE) is perpetrated in Newcastle upon Tyne. The project engages existing and new stakeholders through working with statutory partners, new grassroots community projects, and key informants from victims and mens' groups. Through its work the project will forge new partnerships and important opportunities for knowledge exchange. These will 'fill the gap' in terms of understanding the dynamics and character of the significant and complex criminal and harms associated with this emerging aspect of VAWG.This will help identify new opportunities for preventive intervention and develop insight to inform awareness-raising campaigns that can seek to challenge normative cultures that enable offending and harmful behaviours to occur.
The project will develop detailed insight into the opportunistic and situational context in which sexual harassment and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in the night-time economy (NTE) is perpetrated in Newcastle upon Tyne. The project engages existing and new stakeholders through working with statutory partners, new grassroots community projects, and key informants from victims and mens' groups. Through its work the project will forge new partnerships and important opportunities for knowledge exchange. These will 'fill the gap' in terms of understanding the dynamics and character of the significant and complex criminal and harms associated with this emerging aspect of VAWG.This will help identify new opportunities for preventive intervention and develop insight to inform awareness-raising campaigns that can seek to challenge normative cultures that enable offending and harmful behaviours to occur.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Mike Rowe (Principal Investigator) | |
| Zoe Mitchell (Researcher) |
| Description | Analysis of policing VAWG in the Night Time Economy identified a gap in evidence on the patterns and typology of perpetration. Not enough is known about the behaviour and characteristics of perpetrators, beyond a very small minority of serial and repeat perpetrators of relatively serious incidents. In that gap, police officers use their professional knowledge in the exercise of their operational discretion, but this seemed to be rather limited in terms of understanding the breadth and diversity of victims, of perpetrators and of sites of the NTE. Young vulnerable females in and around the licensed premises of the NTE in the central business district might be understood as 'at risk' and so targeted by officers. Other people in other locations are less likely to be considered in this way and so the breadth of the problem is not recognised. Working with a broader range of partners, including voluntary groups and 'activists' might be a useful avenue to broaden police service capacity and understanding of the nature of VAWG in the NTE in all its developing forms. |
| Exploitation Route | Others in policing, licensing, the business community and activists and voluntary groups would benefit from understanding the dynamics of safety and security. Better means of identifying (potential) perpetrators and risky 'hot spots' that include new locations in the NTE (for example, private and public venues away from CBD, transport systems, and non-licensed premises such as tea bars or desert cafes) would provide a basis for better interventions that address the breadth of the problem. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy Leisure Activities including Sports Recreation and Tourism Government Democracy and Justice Transport |
| Description | The project was designed and delivered collaboratively with Northumbria Police and Rape Crisis and both organisations are using the findings and infographic reports for training and profesisonal development. Both are also working with our Gendered Violence research group at Northumbria University to develop collaborative links with other local and national partners. Part of this involves the development of more substantial research projects to further explore the implicaitions of our study and to develop more effective interventions. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
| Sector | Healthcare,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice,Transport |
| Impact Types | Societal Policy & public services |
| Title | Fieldnotes and focus group transcripts on VAWG in the Night-Time economy, including with police officers, support agencies, activists and campaigners |
| Description | The dataset comprises of a series of fieldnotes from observation of policing VAWG in the Night-Time Economy and focus groups with police and other partners. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://figshare.northumbria.ac.uk/articles/dataset/Fieldnotes_and_focus_group_transcripts_on_VAWG_i... |
| Title | Fieldnotes and focus group transcripts on VAWG in the Night-Time economy, including with police officers, support agencies, activists and campaigners |
| Description | The dataset comprises of a series of fieldnotes from observation of policing VAWG in the Night-Time Economy and focus groups with police and other partners. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://figshare.northumbria.ac.uk/articles/dataset/Fieldnotes_and_focus_group_transcripts_on_VAWG_i... |
| Description | BSC panel presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Rowe presented a talk (POLICING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS IN THE NTE: WHERE ARE THE PERPETRATORS?) in a panel at the British Society of Criminology Conference, University of Central Lancashire, July 2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |