Article on Girls Festival vulnerability

[Zoo Music Girl]

While I agree that you definitely have to take precautions and be aware as a woman, there is no way I would categorically let it stop me walking anywhere on my own at night. I lived on my own for nearly eight years - I would never have gone out in the evening if that was the case. I feel like modifying your behaviour to that extent is letting the fuckers win. And yes I have been sexually assaulted and mugged. But I would have missed out on a whole lot of life if I always made sure to get home before dark.

Edited June 7, 2019 by Zoo Music Girl

[bombfrog]

10 minutes ago, bexj said:

What would you do if you saw a bloke leering at a teenage girl in a busy crowd watching a band? What if you saw him touch her bum deliberately? 

Not quite touching but I've seen a drunk guy giving a girl hassle in a club before and just gave them a death stare and positioned myself between them. They soon move on. If they didn't then I'd ask her if she was ok and inform a bouncer if it didn't stop. 

Never happened at a festival but generally with a group of friends close by so if the death stare didn't work we'd all just pretend we were with her.

[chatty]

40 minutes ago, MetaKate said:

I agree that women can also be inappropriate and make a man feel violated, but the truth is that men dont fear that they are then going to be physically overpowered and potentially raped. 

This will be the main difference. Been groped loads of times, had women (well and men too on occasion) be suggestive, harass me etc but at the end of the day I'm not really threatened. Worse comes to worse I could overpower most women but it's near impossible that it would ever come down to that's so I guess it's not something Id ever worry about. Imagine that goes for the majority of males.

Bit different if your the one who could be overpowered and have someone act threateningly towards you.

[gherkin8r]

4 minutes ago, chatty said:

This will be the main difference. Been groped loads of times, had women (well and men too on occasion) be suggestive, harass me etc but at the end of the day I'm not really threatened. Worse comes to worse I could overpower most women but it's near impossible that it would ever come down to that's so I guess it's not something Id ever worry about. Imagine that goes for the majority of males.

Bit different if your the one who could be overpowered and have someone act threateningly towards you.

Definitely not as much of an issue for men generally although I'd say for gay men it might be more of an issue. 

Logically a crowd should make people less at risk from being assaulted seriously I would have thought. 

[Hugh Jass]

There was a serious incident a couple of years ago involving a member of this forum (I won’t name names because they may not wish to discuss it) but it’s pretty fucking shit that this sort of thing happens at Glastonbury of all places. Don’t get me wrong, it’s shit that it happens anywhere.

Stay safe people.

Edited June 7, 2019 by Hugh Jass

[chatty]

2 minutes ago, gherkin8r said:

Definitely not as much of an issue for men generally although I'd say for gay men it might be more of an issue. 

Logically a crowd should make people less at risk from being assaulted seriously I would have thought. 

It's a tough one to fully call cause if you ain't of that mindset I guess you don't expect others to be generally either.

No idea how bad it is for gay lads. Been in gay bars a fair few times and generally found them to be more friendlier that usual bars when I've been out but then I'm not really a prime target for someone to think they could try anything on so could be I just never seen it.

Seen it far more with women, though I've prob seen women sexually assault males more than anything but as we've said, it has a different stigma attached.

I've had to step in a few times with women being harassed in the past though, once saw a hang of lads follow a lone women down an alley and thought that was weird so caught up withe girl and walked her home, nearly got my head booted in that night. Wasn't long back me and my mates had to convince a women to go speak to the police cause we found her crying in a bus stop scared to go home cause her husband beat her. Few instances like that where it's too clear to not step in.

Plenty times when it's hard to decipher whether it's just a bit of a domestic or pissed people being dramaticand just think better off it though. Anywhere where alcohol is prevelant makes things worse tbf.

[gherkin8r]

6 minutes ago, chatty said:

It's a tough one to fully call cause if you ain't of that mindset I guess you don't expect others to be generally either.

No idea how bad it is for gay lads. Been in gay bars a fair few times and generally found them to be more friendlier that usual bars when I've been out but then I'm not really a prime target for someone to think they could try anything on so could be I just never seen it.

Seen it far more with women, though I've prob seen women sexually assault males more than anything but as we've said, it has a different stigma attached.

I've had to step in a few times with women being harassed in the past though, once saw a hang of lads follow a lone women down an alley and thought that was weird so caught up withe girl and walked her home, nearly got my head booted in that night. Wasn't long back me and my mates had to convince a women to go speak to the police cause we found her crying in a bus stop scared to go home cause her husband beat her. Few instances like that where it's too clear to not step in.

Plenty times when it's hard to decipher whether it's just a bit of a domestic or pissed people being dramaticand just think better off it though. Anywhere where alcohol is prevelant makes things worse tbf.

The gay point was more based around the fact that men are overwhelmingly the perpetrators in situations like this. And the likelihood of a man being overpowered by a woman is much lower than in a male on male scenario so the risk for a man increases. Also in a gay club for example male advances towards males are far more commonplace. 

[Rufus Gwertigan]

I have worked at many festivals both as security and stewarding. I have yet to attend a festival where there has not been sexual assaults of some nature reported. I wont tell any of the tales I have witnessed but can give one relating directly to me. I was stewarding at a grass roots affair and I was called to the Welfare Tent. A young woman was off her face and would not settle so I went to help and essentially chaperone the young lady. This went on for a while and eventually after trying to ID her tent and her crew we found her home. I managed to get her in what I hoped was her tent, but she gave me a tight hug and a kiss and said "I'm yours". Now I am not Gods gift to women and was flattered and I said no, but as I was leaving the area one of the other stewards asked why I didn't follow up. That shocked me more than anything as there is no way I would take advantage of someones vunerability. To put things in perspective, when sober at a festival I notice many things what I would call assaults. You have thousands of people under the influence in a hedonistic environment. What would one expect.

I will qualify what I mean by expect. I personnaly think that anyone should be free from any form of harassment. But I am cynical in that people can be twats and not do what they are told. To think that nearly a quater of a million people can live in a field with out harrasssment of any sort seems naive. 

[sprocketrocket]

2 hours ago, bombfrog said:

Just wave at them and say thanks ?

I do, I flash them my legs and ample moobs.

[ICGenie]

2 hours ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

While I agree that you definitely have to take precautions and be aware as a woman, there is no way I would categorically let it stop me walking anywhere on my own at night. I lived on my own for nearly eight years - I would never have gone out in the evening if that was the case. I feel like modifying your behaviour to that extent is letting the fuckers win. And yes I have been sexually assaulted and mugged. But I would have missed out on a whole lot of life if I always made sure to get home before dark.

Same here.  You get savvy.  You get a sense of which streets are better than others.  You keep your keys in your hand in case you need a weapon.  You never EVER walk late at night with ear phones in.  And if you’ve never had anything serious happen to you, you consider yourself incredibly lucky to say that.

Yes women shouldn’t have to live like this but we do.  I’m struggling to see why festivals are being singled out here though.

[Ayrshire Chris]

Surely a case for this serious issue to be highlighted and brought out into the open. Specific training given to stewards and visible police presence to reassure festival goers that this is a zero tolerance issue. We are all quite rightly well aware of things such as leave no trace, The ban on plastics, maybe it’s time that harassment is called out as something that will not be tolerated. 

[FromCali]

9 hours ago, bombfrog said:

Just wave at them and say thanks ?

I am sure that you are kidding when you say this, but this is part of the problem.  Everyone is so nonchalant about this.

Everything from here is not directed at bombfrog, but at people in general.

I think that most people look at this as an issue that a woman can largely control.  I include myself in that when I tell my daughter to make sure she keeps herself out of bad situations. The reality is that there is no protecting yourself from being groped in the crowd. It is up to us, the men of the crowd, to eliminate this behavior.  Keep your hands to yourself. If you see something, say something. Call the guy out and make him know that its not okay. 

[Lucy92]

I generally feel pretty safe at Glastonbury but it is always in the back of my mind. I do walk around on my own if I want to see something different to my boyfriend or friends and feel happy to do so because generally most of the people at Glasto aren’t assholes. But of course, there’s always one dickhead to ruin it for the rest of us, I just feel like there’s less at Glasto than anywhere else. 

[Lipgloss and Cigarettes]

On 6/7/2019 at 5:18 PM, Homer said:

I'm probably being naive but can't work out how anytihng major could happen that often at a festival thankfully, being that you're nearly always about 6ft from another person (who presumably isn't an arsehole) at a festival, and the whole thing is so unsoundproofed (including tents).

Look up “the bystander effect”. 

 

[Curlygirl]

On 6/7/2019 at 5:18 PM, Homer said:

I'm probably being naive but can't work out how anytihng major could happen that often at a festival thankfully, being that you're nearly always about 6ft from another person (who presumably isn't an arsehole) at a festival, and the whole thing is so unsoundproofed (including tents).

I am the person that @GETOFFAMYLAWN refers to, I am also the person who screamed blue murder at 0420 on Friday morning. Not one person heard my calls for help. I know this because I asked my camp mates the next day. Luckily my friend was in the toilets and she came running. Between us we wrestled him out of the tent and sent him on his merry way. Now I’m trained in control and restraint and I never get totally fucked up at a festival, so I hate to think how much more serious it could have been had I been a young, drunk, inexperienced young lass. 

[H.M.V]

Hey Lovely, big hugs. See you on the farm and you're in our fortress this time.

[Curlygirl]

1 minute ago, H.M.V said:

Hey Lovely, big hugs. See you on the farm and you're in our fortress this time.

I’m over it Pet, but it really is a stark reminder that there are arseholes everywhere. Lovely to see you yesterday ? 

[H.M.V]

1 minute ago, Curlygirl said:

I’m over it Pet, but it really is a stark reminder that there are arseholes everywhere. Lovely to see you yesterday ? 

Out of upvotes love. x

[Ayrshire Chris]

2 minutes ago, Curlygirl said:

I am the person that @GETOFFAMYLAWN refers to, I am also the person who screamed blue murder at 0420 on Friday morning. Not one person heard my calls for help. I know this because I asked my camp mates the next day. Luckily my friend was in the toilets and she came running. Between us we wrestled him out of the tent and sent him on his merry way. Now I’m trained in control and restraint and I never get totally fucked up at a festival, so I hate to think how much more serious it could have been had I been a young, drunk, inexperienced young lass. 

Horrific , surely each campsite has a camp warden(s) with instant access to call police and security 24 hours a day?  It’s so worrying that your calls for assistance  went unanswered.  This  is one issue that, however unsavoury, needs to be called out , stewards trained in dealing with it and spotting potential trouble.  It’s a zero tolerance issue,. Nothing less.  Everyone should be able to enjoy all parts of the festival at al times of the day without fear.  

[Ayrshire Chris]

3 minutes ago, H.M.V said:

Out of upvotes love. x

She can have one of mine 

[Curlygirl]

4 minutes ago, Ayrshire Chris said:

Horrific , surely each campsite has a camp warden(s) with instant access to call police and security 24 hours a day?  It’s so worrying that your calls for assistance  went unanswered.  This  is one issue that, however unsavoury, needs to be called out , stewards trained in dealing with it and spotting potential trouble.  It’s a zero tolerance issue,. Nothing less.  Everyone should be able to enjoy all parts of the festival at al times of the day without fear.  

I actually have no idea where the stewards were located, however I was clever enough to note the grid reference next to our tent and the police came straight out to take a statement. Unfortunately he did it again later on in the festival to a young lady... may have been the one at silver Hayes. Same description. He was never caught but the police have his dna on file so who knows, one day I may get my day in court. 

Edited to say... I’m guessing everyone camping around me were spangled. 

Edited June 8, 2019 by Curlygirl

[gherkin8r]

1 hour ago, Lipgloss and Cigarettes said:

Look up “the bystander effect”. 

 

I understand this but in my experience there are far more people that react vs those who stand by and let things happen. I don't think a moral panic is justified here to cause undue stress. There are unquestionably a significant number of people who see the majority of these incidents as no more than an inevitable consequence of drunkeness or drug consumption. 

Please don't take this as a call against acknowledging a problem. It couldn't be farther from that. Its more a plea not to feel unduly worried because I think in an area with a reasonable crowd I think there are far more decent people who will act appropriately than will turn a blind eye or take an easy life and walk on. 

There definitely needs to be more action against these idiots (at best). And I would advocate the strongest of responses whether that be in terms of violence (if people are willing to just break the laws of social decency then they can be held to account on similar grounds) or alerting the authorities that's the only way to react. 

[gherkin8r]

Having said that, as above there is a clear need for being diligent in areas where women/girls might end up alone in the dark. 

[Curlygirl]

2 minutes ago, gherkin8r said:

Having said that, as above there is a clear need for being diligent in areas where women/girls might end up alone in the dark. 

This is what upset me about my incident... glastonbury was my safe place until it happened. We shouldn’t have to be diligent. It stinks. I was always out and about on my own prior to it happening, now I won’t go out on my own. That cretin stole a piece of Glastonbury from me. 

[dazednconfused]

4 minutes ago, gherkin8r said:

Having said that, as above there is a clear need for being diligent in areas where women/girls might end up alone in the dark. 

Absolutely. See above.

 

what happened to @Curlygirl is the epic centre of the earthquake. As said before, if power constellations had been different o my encounter in 2017, I don’t even want to imagine.

There were people there. Walking past. Not acknowledging the situation was an issue for me.