Safe Bar Program Teaches Restaurant, Bar Employees How To Spot Situations That Could Lead To Sexual Assault
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There's a new training program to teach restaurant and bar employees how to spot situations that could lead to sexual assault. Cities like New York and Washington, D.C. have dozens of certified bars, but Philadelphia has just a handful.
Picture a Wednesday night out at the bar, perhaps on a first date or happy hour with friends. You might not realize it, but the person behind the bar isn't just there to serve you a drink.
"The Safe Bar Program is a program that helps teach your staff to help prevent sexual harassment and assault in the restaurant," Devil's Den owner Erin Wallace said.
Wallace, who owns Devil's Den on South 11th and Ellsworth Streets, says she's proud her bar is the first in the city to be safe certified.
"You can tell body language if someone is uncomfortable or if you think you saw somebody slipping something into somebody's drink," Wallace said.
In Philadelphia, the program has been around for about two years. Training is provided by Woman Organized Against Rape (WOAR).
Bur so far, only four bars have been certified. Wallace believes the numbers are low because of the stigma behind sexual assaults.
"A lot of bar owners and managers feel that if they take this class, they are kind of associating their name with that," Wallace said.
"I believe many bars are just apprehensive in talking about sexual violence," WOAR training specialist LaQuisha Anthony said.
Anthony says she's trying to open up a dialogue with establishments, even offering reduced training costs and flexible scheduling for staff who want to get certified.
"I believe bar owners want their patrons to be safe, and why not partner with us to do that?" Anthony said.
Guests, especially women CBS3 spoke with, agree and say they hope to see more bars safe certified.
"I wish there was something like that when I was young," Bucks County resident Maureen Laughead said.
"If I were still single now, I would probably exclusively go to a bar that I know was safe," Philadelphia resident Kelly Laughead said.
WOAR says there are already four additional bars that are interested in the training.
