Recommendation 19

HM Government Rejected

Ensuring the safety of performers, staff and attendees at live music events is paramount. It is a legal requirement that all music venue employees must undergo mandatory health and safety training. However, it is up to individual businesses to decide whether they train their staff in sexual harassment. The Government welcomes the work of organisations such as Safe Gigs for Women, Good Night Out, Ask for Angela and Shout-Up! in helping venues and businesses to tackle sexual and gender-based violence through specialist training. We would encourage all music venues to partner with organisations to provide training such as this to their staff. Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) remains a Government priority. The Government has made significant progress and delivered a number of key commitments to help ensure that women and girls are safe everywhere – at home, online, at work and in public spaces. In July 2021, the Home Office published a cross-Government Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy. This was followed by a complementary cross-Government Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan, which was published in March 2022. These documents aim to transform the whole of society’s response to these crimes with actions to prevent abuse, support victims and pursue perpetrators, as well as to strengthen systems to respond to VAWG. The Government supported the Protection from Sex-based Harassment in Public Act 2023 (sponsored by the Rt Hon Greg Clark MP and Lord Wolfson of Tredegar KC), which makes public sexual harassment a specific offence. It provides that if someone commits an offence under existing section 4A of the Public Order Act 1986 (intentionally causing harassment, alarm or distress) and did so because of the victim’s sex, then they could obtain a higher sentence (two years instead of six months). As with any new criminal justice legislation, an implementation period is necessary to ensure all processes, systems and guidance are updated – including drawing up the statutory guidance. We will ensure the legislation comes into force as quickly as reasonably possible. Licensing authorities are already required to take due note of the licensing objectives when considering applications and these include prevention of crime and disorder and public safety and these encompass sexual harassment and abuse. The Licensing Act 2003 sets out offences which should be taken into consideration when granting a personal licence to an individual. These were updated in 2017 to include the sexual offences listed in Schedule 3 to the Sexual Offences Act 2003. The section 182 guidance states5 : “It is recommended that statements of licensing policy should provide clear indications of how the licensing authority will secure the proper integration of its licensing policy with local crime prevention, planning, transport, tourism, equality schemes, cultural strategies and any other plans introduced for the management of town centres and the night-time economy. Many of these strategies are not directly related to the promotion of the licensing objectives, but, indirectly, impact upon them. Co-ordination and integration of such policies, strategies and initiatives are therefore important [...] Statements of Licensing Policy should consider the prevalence, prevention and reporting of sexual harassment and misconduct and broader violence against women and girls crimes.”