Music festivals are a great opportunity for thousands of people to see live music and Groovin the Moo certainly delivers this to our region.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
While thousands of young people go to have fun, party and experience the festival vibe, we also know that sexual harassment and assault occurs at festivals and venues at alarming rates.
This summer saw increasing reports of sexual assault and harassment at festivals across Victoria and nationally.
Statistics indicate women aged 18 – 34 years are most at risk of experiencing sexual harassment and assault.
These include sexual behaviours of unwanted and opportunistic touching, kissing, groping, and unwanted comments about a woman’s body which are used to intimidate and make them feel uncomfortable.
Some people deliberately take advantage of the size of the crowd or the jammed mosh pit and this is where harassment and assaults have been reported as occurring.
A large part of our work at LCCASA is prevention and awareness and as part of this mandate we reached out to Groovin the Moo to collaborate with them.
Initiatives we were keen to partner on included training and information for staff, looking at the physical domain and providing resources for festival goers.
We understand festival organisers are not always equipped to respond to sexual assault or harassment and our offer of support was to complement their core work of providing a safe, fun and quality event.
There is a real groundswell for change at festivals, pubs and clubs with nine venues across Victoria participating in a pilot program working towards reducing harassment and assaults in their premises.
We thought Groovin the Moo would welcome our expertise, at no cost to them, and to show leadership in socially responsible event management particularly in this time of awareness and change.
This work is important and our offer remains open to Groovin the Moo, and we hope to be working with them next year at the Bendigo event.
For support with recent or past experiences of sexual assault or abuse, call LCCASA on 5441 0430 or the Victorian Sexual Assault Crisis Line after hours on 1800 806 292.
Help is also available from 1800 RESPECT – 1800 737 732 or 1800respect.org.au.
In an emergency, call Triple Zero (000).
