The Shout-Up! campaign, which arrived in Jesmond last summer to tackle sexual harassment in bars, pubs and clubs around Newcastle, may have had less of an effect than first thought.

JesmondLocal spoke to a number of bar staff across Jesmond about the impact of the scheme. They reported that while the campaign has had a positive effect, some drinkers in the area take it as a joke.

Shout-Up! was first introduced in 2017, and arrived in Jesmond last summer. Today, more than 25 venues throughout Newcastle now take part in the scheme. A similar scheme Ask for Angela, launched in 2016, aims to provide an ‘escape plan’ if some one is on a date they want out of.

One staff member, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “We thought it would be class, until groups of blokes came in and we caught them laughing”.

This was echoed by Naomi True, 27, who has worked at bars both in Jesmond and the Ouseburn. “We’ll have the posters up saying its a sexual harassment free zone, which is good,” she said. “But it’s also kind of a joke to the customers. I’ve heard someone say: ‘You can’t sexually harass anyone in this room but you can over there’, stuff like that”. 

The number of rapes reported in North East hospitals last year increased by 122% comapred to a year before.

True said she had been harassed during her workday, usually at the hands of groups of men. “I was trying to squeeze through with plates in my hand, one of them would press his groin up against me, so I’d turn the other way, and then his friend would do it,” she said.

The Shout-Up! posters were put in place before True began working at one of the venues.

True claims she has never received formal training about what to do in such a situation. “No. I didn’t know it was an organisation or anything, you’re not told anything about it.”

Another theme was that the public didn’t take it seriously. “I think because it [is] just posters and it wasn’t really explained to the public it didn’t work as well,” said the anonymous bar worker.

The worker told JesmondLocal that initial expectations were good, but that after a bief PR blitz, there has been little follow-up to support staff and patrons. “It was a really good day, we did loads of workshops where we shared experiences,” they said. “We were given cards with information about what staff should do if they see things happening.”

The overriding feeling seems to be one of disappointment, however. After the initial flare of enthusiasm, “it just sort of fizzled out”, they said.

Shout-Up! did not respond to repeated requests to comment for this story.