DEMANDS are being made to protect women from sexual harassment in Basingstoke.

The Women’s Equality (WE) Party Basingstoke has submitted a proposal to the borough council’s licensing committee asking for sexual harassment to be added to its new licensing policy.

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Anyone who runs a venue in the town that sells alcohol such as bars or clubs must apply for a licence to do so and follow strict criteria for this to be granted.

The policy is currently under review and WE Basingstoke is calling for sexual harassment to be added to the list of situations that licence holders must guard against, alongside things like prevention of underage drinking, sale of alcohol to intoxicated customers, and drug use.

Stacy Hart, WE Basingstoke’s branch leader and election candidate for Hatch Warren and Beggarwood, said: “Following our campaign for White Ribbon accreditation and the council’s unanimous vote on it, this is the next step forward in protecting women.

“Many venues do great work in stamping out harassment, but unless the need to do so is a licensing requirement, for some it will never be a priority.

“Sadly, there is a culture of acceptance in society of low-level harassment – things like cat-calling and unwanted touching – and acceptance of those behaviours paves the way to escalating sexual harassment and violence.

“Licensed venues need to make it clear that there is a zero-tolerance approach to these behaviours and back that up with specific, concrete steps.”

The proposal put forward by WE Basingstoke states a list of appropriate protection measures that should be required from licensed applicants.

These include public signage; zero-tolerance policies; staff training; and easily accessible harassment reporting methods.

Priya Brown, WE Basingstoke’s election candidate for Eastrop and Grove added: “This proposal marks Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week, and WE want Basingstoke to be a leader in combating violence against women and girls.

“WE hope to replicate our success with the White Ribbon motion because it will really prove what can be achieved when all parties take sexual harassment seriously and work collaboratively to combat it.”

The borough council’s consultation on the draft proposal closes on Friday, February 11.

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