A new anti-harassment effort in Wichita is targeting sexual violence in bars.
The mission of the SafeBar Alliance is to train bar staff on how to recognize the signs of sexual harassment and assault, and how to intervene. The Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center is leading the new effort.
“The training is really about noticing what’s going on," says WASAC executive director Kathy Williams. "If something doesn’t look right, [there are] some strategies that bar staff may use so that they can intervene in a safe kind of way.”
The first SafeBar Alliance started as a community-led effort in Lawrence, and has grown to include more than a dozen bars there. Williams says she's bringing the model to Wichita with the help of the experience gained in Lawrence. So far, one bar in Wichita has completed the training, and Williams hopes more will follow.
“We don’t expect bar staff and bar owners to know this information, so we’re going to provide them with that, so that should a situation come up, they’ll know what to do," she says.
Trainings are led by WASAC staff and community volunteers. Bars that want to sign up for the training can find more information here.
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