Content warning: the following article mentions sensitive topics including sexual harassment and violence. Support is available from the links at the bottom.

On Friday the 9th February, a pop-up dance floor was set up to conclude the University of Leeds’ Sexual Violence Awareness Week. 

Dancing in the rain didn’t seem so appealing on a dark, damp February day in West Yorkshire. Despite this, creative projects company Bolshee brightened up the LUU foyer with flashing lights and pop music. Bordering their black and white tiled dance floor were whiteboards inviting students to write under headings: “What makes you feel safe?” and “Tell us your demands!”. 

The Gryphon spoke with Bolshee’s creative director Paula Clark. On the aims of the project, Clark said: “The Dancefloor project is really about a vibrant, engaging way of getting a conversation started about sexual harm in public spaces, particularly to women and girls, but to everybody. A general conversation where everybody can start to take responsibility, and also ask for, you know, for the basic needs, to be safe when you go out.”

“We felt really strongly that we wanted it to be a dancefloor. We wanted it to be somewhere that reminds people of going out, where girls can get dressed how they want to, take up some space, and have some fun really”

Clark said the best conversations had happened in environments when people were already out, “Lots of people encountered it while they were already out having fun with their friends, having a pint, having a good time. They were much more interested and curious.”

“Actually, what that meant was that quite a lot of men were in the space. A few would come up to me and say “I’m not supposed to go in there. This is a space for women to say what they want to say…

..we were very much like ‘no, this is a space for everyone to say what they want to say’. What that meant was that quite a lot of men in the space were taking a step back and actually reading what the demands of the women were, and what lengths women have to go through to make sure their mates and themselves get home safe.”

Clark said the reception of the project had not been uniformly as progressive as nights like these. She spoke about the challenges of taking the project to sixth form colleges, “there was so much misogyny, there was a lot of misogyny written on the walls.”. 

She also shared concerns about how social media and phone use amongst children and teens is increasing sexual harm, “I think young people are dealing with a lot more sexual harm and harassment than we know.“.

Data from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) reveals the shocking rise in online abuse, publishing an investigation which found a 66% increase in child abuse images in the 5 years between 2017 and 2022. 

This is only those reported to police. Executive Chief of the NSPCC, Sir Peter Wanless, said of the report, “these new figures are incredibly alarming, but reflect just the tip of the iceberg of what children are experiencing online”. Largely unregulated apps like Snapchat have contributed to an environment where “online sexual abuse risks being normalised for a generation of children”.

These rising numbers reflect how an increase in conversations around sexual violence is only one step in what is needed to prevent sexual violence. In terms of online harm, the UK parliament passed the Online Safety Act last autumn, which places new, stronger demands on social media companies to regulate content. This bill was celebrated by the NSPCC as a “momentous day for children”. 

However, protections for over 18s in terms of online sexual harm are limited. There remain unanswered problems around online pornography, including the emerging use of deepfake technology and AI-generated content, which the law is slow to address.

In discussing what still needed to be done to combat sexual violence, we spoke about a concerning unintended consequence of some campaigns and conversations in promoting sex-negative attitudes. Clark said, “women are already having issues around the fact they’re not allowed to be overtly sexual”. This shed light on how conversations around sex and consent must navigate carefully to steer clear of accidental ‘slut-shaming’ tactics or promote a regressive culture of fear around sex.

Bolshee’s projects, spanning from inclusive club nights to theatre, can be followed on their instagram page @bolsheecreativeprojects

Available support:

The University of Leeds’ website’s Harassment and Misconduct section details available avenues of support for anyone affected by topics discussed and can be accessed from the following link: https://students.leeds.ac.uk/info/1000101/harassment-and-misconduct

Students against Sexual Harassment and Assault (SASHA) Resources page lists available support and can be accessed from the following link: https://sashaleedsuni.wixsite.com/sashaluu/resources