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Date Published: 26/04/2022

ARCHIVED - The British-run bar in Fuengirola that is fighting sexual abuse in a surprising and novel way

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

The Malaga bar has a sign with a secret code that customers in trouble can use to ask for help

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - The British-run bar in Fuengirola that is fighting sexual abuse in a surprising and novel way

The Elements cocktail bar in Fuengirola has taken a novel approach to tackling Spain’s increasing problem with sexual assault. A sign mounted in the women’s bathrooms prompts patrons to go to the bar and ask for a ‘Double Diana’ drink if they are in trouble, which will then prompt their trained staff to intervene.

“Uncomfortable? Do you feel harassed or in danger? Is your date not going as you thought?” the sign asks. “Our staff is trained to help you and will do everything possible to get you home safely. Remember that you are not alone and there is someone who will help you,” the poster concludes.

The sign contained a number of code words that will alert staff to the level of discomfort, ranging from needing a taxi called to requiring police intervention.

Chilean woman Carolina Perry, who runs the cocktail bar alongside her British partner Mark Vernon, explained that the safety initiative was first devised by one of the waitresses, and the owners didn’t hesitate to act. Thankfully, no customers have yet had to resort to ordering the secret drink to ask for help, but the owners of Elements believe that it is a “very necessary” measure which other establishments should imitate.

He venido a un bar de Fuengirola a tomarme algo con mis amigos y mi chico, al ir al baño he encontrado una maravilla!!
Gracias, bar Elements. pic.twitter.com/fxwuyHZVi4
— Blanca Arroyo (@blancaarroyop) April 18, 2022

This may soon become a reality given the stir that Element’s poster has created: one customer posted a photo of the initiative on Twitter and it quickly went viral, generating more than 21,000 retweets, 1,040 quoted tweets and 83,000 likes.

Many social media users pointed out that establishments in other countries are already employing similar secret codes to offer support to victims of sexual abuse; in fact, the citizen Council of Mexico published a poster back in 2018 that carried the same message.

But it’s not just women’s rights that the Elements cocktail bar is trying to tackle; dotted along its walls are messages of peace, unity and diversity and another poster reads: “Entrance is prohibited for people with symptoms of Covid-19, racism and homophobia.”

In the last macro-survey on domestic violence in 2019, it was found that 40.4% of women over the age of 16 – that’s 8,240,537 people – have suffered sexual harassment at some point in their lives. Providing mechanisms to protect victims continues to be an uphill battle in Spain.

Image: Blanca Arroyo on Twitter

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