This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Leeds chapter.

Picture this: it’s student night in one of the busiest student cities in the UK.

Drinks are £1, queues are flooding out the door and around the streets and the girl’s bathroom conversations are popping off. That’s the image you’ve got in your head, right? This is what we expect to see on a Wednesday night in Leeds. Not empty streets.

On Wednesday the 27^th of October, @girlsnightinleeds_ and @girlsuncutleeds called for a city-wide boycott of all clubs and bars in Leeds to raise awareness of the increasing cases of assault, spiking and violence against women during nights out.

This was particularly in response to the recent rise in cases of spiking through injection with needles, and the fact that club owners and event organisers were doing nothing to combat it.

Boycotts also took place all over the country, with cities like Surrey, Aberdeen and York boycotting on the 27^th with Leeds, and cities such as Edinburgh, Newcastle and Bristol boycotting on the 28^th. We all shared a common goal: further safety (particularly for women) on nights out.

People held Netflix Party film nights, went out to the cinema or to a restaurant, held a board game night, and Leeds Student Radio dedicated an entire show for people to listen to whilst they remained inside.

Examples of demands that were wanted from the boycott were:

Further security checks upon entering clubs, including bag searches and body searches
Bottle stoppers and drink covers to protect drinks from being spiked
Female bouncers
Bouncers and security that were more empathetic and trained around spiking incidents

This is so important, especially as The Tab Leeds discovered that 67% of their followers no longer feel safe on a night out, and 84% said that clubs do not do enough to make them feel safe.

Over time, it has become more apparent that ‘Freedom Day’ on the 19^th of July only brought freedom for straight, white men. The cases of Sarah Everard, Sameena Hussain, and countless others just prove it. I know I am sick of feeling more restricted now, living life as a woman than I did in our three lockdowns.

Women must follow an unwritten law of downing their drink as soon as they are handed it at the bar or holding their drink with their hand over the top to prevent being spiked. And now, with the introduction of needle spiking, these unwritten laws can’t even protect us. Enough is enough. We mustn’t victim blame or ignore this; we have to educate to eliminate and prevent before it’s too late.

How to recognise if your drink has been spiked:

Foggy Appearance
Sinking Ice
Excessive Bubbles
Change in colour

How to recognise if you or your friends have been spiked:

Feeling ‘out of it’ or no longer present
Speech difficulties
Nausea and vomiting
Memory loss

What to do if you think you have been spiked:

Tell a friend
Tell a bar manager, bouncer or member of staff
Do not go home alone
Call an ambulance if you feel yourself deteriorate

By injection:

Notify someone
Encourage the wound to bleed and hold under running water
Wash the wound with soap (Do not scrub the wound)
Dry and cover the wound
Call 111 or 999
Within 24 hours, go to a medical facility as you may need antibiotics, or tests for blood illnesses such as Hep B or HIV. These are both easily treatable and treatment is free.

If any of these topics have triggered you, or you need help in your recovery, here are some charities to reach out to:

https://stoptopps.com/

https://www.goodnightoutcampaign.org/

https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/about-us/what-we-do/our-campaigns/nightlife-crew

Words by: Anna Duffell

Edited by: Laura Murphy