British women who feel unsafe while out on a date or socializing at their neighbourhood pub now have a discreet way to seek help.
They’re being told to just ask for “Angela.”
Angela doesn’t exist, in reality. She’s a code word rolled out as part of a campaign to combat sexual harassment and assault in Lincolnshire county, north of London.
Posters advertising the mysterious saviour “Angela” have been cropping up in women’s restrooms across the district, and a picture of one was tweeted out by a customer in mid October.
The photo has since been re-tweeted nearly 29,000 times.
“Are you on a date that isn’t working out? Is your Tinder or POF (Plenty of Fish) date not who they said they were on their profile?” the poster asks.
“Do you feel like you’re not in a safe situation? Does it all feel a bit weird? If you go to the bar and ask for ‘Angela,’ the bar staff will know you need help getting out of your situation.”
Staff will call a taxi and help a customer make a discreet exit “without too much fuss,” the campaign promises.
The poster is available to print from the local government website. It was just one element of the larger #NoMore campaign that ran from late September to early October in Lincolnshire.
The local council’s sexual violence and abuse strategy coordinator, Hayley Child, told Britain’s Independent newspaper that the overall response to the campaign is “really positive.”
It will be re-launched in February to tie in with Britain’s National Sexual Violence and Abuse awareness week, she said.
Meanwhile, Child has been receiving requests from other jurisdictions for help designing similar campaigns.
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