Violence Against Women and Girls/Safety in Public Spaces
Understanding how perceptions of safety can be improved, and incidents of harassment and threatening behaviour reduced in public spaces across Cambridgeshire.
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The Research.
80% of women feel unsafe in public spaces.
Following research in Cambridgeshire that revealed 80% of women in the county feel unsafe in public spaces, with the majority feeling particularly unsafe at night-time*, we designed a campaign to educate men on attitudes and behaviours that contribute to unease and fear that women often feel after dark.
The research spanned four months and included a snap survey, three insight surveys, and resident interviews. The resident interviews helped to put us into their shoes and create engaging content that focussed on the perpetrators and not the victims. We uncovered 16 behavioural insights which were used to create this campaign.
*2022 survey data by Social Change
The Education.
Raising awareness of what feeling unsafe 'looks like'.
Acting as an educational campaign to help men identify misogynistic, harassing and sexually violent behaviours, Safe After Hours informs people on women think and feel in public spaces when it is dark, such as waiting at a bus stop, going for a run or walking home, and how some behaviours lead to situations that feel dangerous for women.
As well as talking directly to men, the campaign encouraged people to become active bystanders, equipping them with the tools and information they need to safely intervene when they witness women or girls being targeted with harassment or sexual violence.
The Partnerships.
Supported by leading charities and local organisations.
Commissioned by Cambridgeshire Constabulary, with support from Rape Crisis, leading forensic healthcare specialist, Mountain Healthcare, Cambridge United F.C., and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Domestic Abuse & Sexual Violence Partnership, Safe After Hours launched alongside Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s night club safety accreditation scheme, with local night-time economy businesses in the area, which aims to train people working in the nightime economy to identify predatory behaviours.
The Impact.
How did the campaign do?
Running for just 8 weeks, the campaign delivered over 6.7 million impressions, reaching 349,224 people in Cambridgeshire. We were able to forge relationships with Universities, Charities, and other important organisations to promote the campaign and make a contribution to ending violence against women.
240,825
Instagram accounts reached
211,133
Facebook page reach
2,843,591
Google Ads impressions delivered
1,116,950
Advert[s] seen on Facebook
