Good for Business, Good for the Community: Exploring Sexual Violence Prevention Possibilities in Nightlife Settings

• In Event: Community Responses to Sexual Violence

Abstract

Although sexual violence happens in a large variety of contexts, increasing attention is being paid to nightlife-related sexual violence (NLSV): sexual violence that happens in and/or directly after visiting bars, nightclubs, and music venues (Quigg et al., 2020). The emerging body of research on NLSV has documented the prevalence of the problem (up to 80% of female nightlife patrons U.S. have experienced NLSV) and the success of some prevention efforts (e.g., bystander intervention training for employees), but there has been no thorough exploration of the range of prevention possibilities in these settings, particularly with an emphasis on which interventions would be acceptable for businesses to implement. To fill this gap, qualitative interviews and focus groups were conducted with bar and club owners, managers, bartenders, and security, along with other relevant community stakeholders (sexual assault victim advocates and police officers who have experience in responding to NLSV cases), to document and brainstorm the range of policies, procedures, and/or trainings that nightlife settings could use to prevent NLSV, and what barriers and enablers exist for implementing them in nightlife settings. The results of this research inform us as to which interventions would be best suited to study for effectiveness at reducing NLSV.

Author

• Ingrid Diane Johnson, University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center