Women's Safety A Growing Priority At Dallas Nightspots

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - On International Women's Day, hundreds of women gathered in downtown Dallas for "Women U-Night" Tuesday night, March 8.

The event hosted by 24Hour Dallas was aimed at celebrating women while prioritizing their safety at places like restaurants and bars at night.

Ann Mukherjee is the CEO of Pernod Ricard.  It's one of the largest wine and spirits companies in the world, but she said she only promotes drinking if it's done responsibly.

"You know I believe it's really important for people to drink responsibly because I've had my own personal history with alcohol," she said.

As a little girl, she was assaulted by two drunk teenage boys. Her mother was killed by a drunk driver and her first marriage was abusive. Her ex-husband was an alcoholic.

"I've just faced so much pain and I've learned over time you turn pain into power," she said. "My keynote tonight is about reminding everyone that if we're going to make safe places for women we have to come together to make it happen."

Just last month, 24HourDallas launched a women's night safety charter.

It encourages businesses that operate at night to prioritize women's safety, something the City of Dallas is getting behind.

Mayor Eric Johnson signed a proclamation for Women U-Night, the women of the city council by his side.

"When we look at crime in Dallas it's women who make up 61% of crime victim," Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn said. "We need to look out for each other but we also need our businesses to do all they can."

"Maybe it might make a change," AuJanae Mac said. "Maybe we might get where were able to put in safer protocols for us."

"We don't want to be looking over our shoulder, it's very important to know that we're safe," attendee Desiree Noumir said.

"We're here to keep women safe," Mukherjee said. "The power of the one united with the power of many can change the world."