Walter Finch
THE rape accusation against Dani Alves, the former Barca footballer, has raised awkward conversations in Spain about the lack of protection for women on a night out, Ultima Hora writes.
The case raises concerns about the lack of official protocol for when a woman finds herself in an uncomfortable situation or receiving unwanted attention.
In recent years, due to alarm caused by high-profile cases such as the ‘La Manada’ (Wolf Pack) case in Spain, along with the popularisation of ‘date rape’ drugs slipped into drinks, employers and institutions have turned to new measures to provide protection for potential victims.
The trade association for nightlife on the Balearic Islands has caught up with campaigns launched in neighbouring countries designed to offer protection to women in difficult situations.
Staff working for companies within the Employers’ Association of Leisure and Entertainment are now being trained in a basic protocol to deal with situations for when someone is in trouble.
If a person is affected by abuse, if staff is informed by third parties, or if a suspicious situation is detected that may lead to a case of violence, staff will immediately stick with the victim and offer them support and protection.
They can call security, provide witness testimony and call the police to the scene, depending on the scenario.
The club Nuevo Zar Marítimo have even come up with a drink which, when asked for, alerts the worker to the customer’s difficult situation.
If someone orders a regular zarito, it means they need someone to walk them to the car.
A take away zarito means that the customer needs a taxi, and a blue zarito alerts the staff to call the police.
These protocols have been inspired by similar ones abroad.
One of the most well-known examples is the ‘Ask for Angela’ campaign launched in 2016 in the UK to help people in potentially dangerous situations in nightclubs and bars.
If a woman feels harassed or threatened in an establishment, she can simply ask a bartender, ‘Is Angela here?’
The bartender, who receives training for such situations, will help the woman by discretely alerting security, sticking with the woman and even calling a taxi.
The campaign encourages establishments to post informative signs in bathrooms, explaining to customers how to act in these situations.
The signs read, “Hello, I’m Angela. Are you on a date that isn’t going well? Do you feel unsafe?
“Is your Tinder or ‘Plenty of Fish’ date not who they said they were? Is everything feeling a bit weird?
“If you go to the bar and ask for Angela, the staff will know you need help to leave the situation and will call you a taxi or help you discreetly, without making a fuss.”
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