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Northampton Students' Union for the students at the University of Northampton

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Students' Union for the students at The University of Northampton - With you all the way! Follow us for important news, updates and events happening on campus.

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Good Night Out Campaign is on a mission for safer nightlife. We believe nights out should be about fun and freedom, not fear.

We help nightlife spaces and organisations to better understand, respond to, and prevent sexual harassment and assault, through specialist training, policy support and an accreditation programme. Let's change the party to change the world.

The GNO Insta

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See More & Follow Us!

We're creating safer music, culture and nightlife spaces.

From the pub to the street to the bus to our homes, sexual harassment is everywhere. We build workplace and community capacity to respond to and prevent all gender-based harms, because we know it doesn't have to be this way.

Good Night Out began in 2014, initially as a campaign of Hollaback London. We helped London's iconic fabric to create the first ever nightclub anti-sexual harassment policy and never looked back. We help licensed spaces to upskill their teams and deliver specialist, interactive workshops to bar staff, managers, and security.

We help local authorities to develop sexual violence prevention and response campaigns, and partner with frontline support services around the UK and beyond. In London we developed and delivered Women's Safety Charters for Southwark and Greenwich councils, and Hackney's mythbusting #ReframeTheNight campaign, seen on billboards across the borough. We wrote the #OktoAsk bystander toolkit for Drinkaware and act as specialist consultants for London City Hall's Night Czar. Read our toolkit here.

Good Night Out Campaign CIC is a member of the End Violence Against Women Coalition.

Projects & Partnerships
See More Of Our Work

How Do I Get Accredited?

You sign an initial one year agreement to receive on site training for staff, display our posters and adopt or adapt our best practice policy. You will stay in touch with a supportive GNO team member to help you publicise and uphold your standards. To get started, select an option below to make contact and tell us more about you.

There are so many ways to support Good Night Out

Whether you'd like to collaborate on some content, put on a fundraising gig, screening, event or have us come and speak at your event, get in touch with us via our Contact page.

Meet the team! We are a dedicated bunch of educators, musicians, designers and sexual violence specialists, sometimes all at once.

We are a community interest company with a flat structure and a commitment to upholding the principles of gender justice in all that we do.

The Core Team

Our Trainers

Giulia Tanasi

Giulia has a master's degree in Human Rights, Culture and Social Justice. They moved to London from Italy to pursue their passion for the rights of LGBTQ+, women and people of colour. They hope to have a future in NGOs and be able to buy as many books as humanly possible.

Our Board

Doesn't having posters up about sexual harassment just make people think it's not a safe place?

Actually, research demonstrates that safety planning is a normal part of nights out for women and LGBTQ+ people. The feedback we receive suggests that rather than causing fear, our posters which let customers know they will be supported in the event of harassment feel reassuring, not scary. Sexual harassment happens everywhere and is a universal social problem that no venue is totally immune from. Proactive messaging acknowledges that the premises will act appropriately if it does crop up.

I'm in a band or DJ and I want to support your work, what can I do?

Great. If you're going on tour we can give you a supporters' pack of badges and active bystander flyers to display at your merch desk. Why not ask for a 'Respect Rider?' We can show you how to incorporate safer nightlife requirements like gender neutral-bathrooms (or GNO accreditation at every tour stop!) to your rider, and help artists and agents develop contract wording for this. Let's talk!

I don't run a premises but I work in nightlife or events in another capacity, how else can I get involved?

That's great! Email us. We offer lots of different types of support, consultation, policy writing and advice for all kinds of people and organisations. You might also like to check out our support page, as we're always very grateful for fundraisers!

I don't work in the evening and night time economy but what you do sounds really relevant to my field.

We're connected to many other specialist sexual harassment and assault training organisations and consultants who do this type of work, why don't you drop us a line with your needs and see if we can help.

Policy

At Good Night Out Campaign CIC, we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains the types of personal information we collect, how we use that information, who we share it with, and how we protect that information.

This policy (together with our Data Protection Policies) sets out the basis on which any personal information we collect from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us.

Sharing of Information

In rare cases we may be required to disclose your personal information to third parties if we are under a duty to disclose or share your personal data in order to comply with any legal or regulatory obligation. We will not sell your personal information.

Your Choice

It's important that you are able to control your personal data. You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you, ask us to update or delete your personal information, ask us to stop processing your personal data where you have previously consented to us doing so, and not to be contacted by us if you do not wish to be.

You can request access to the information we hold about you by contacting us using the contact details set out below. Our file of your information will usually be made available to you within 30 days, although occasionally we may not be able to give you access to the personal information we hold about you (for example, we may not be able to give you access if it would unreasonably affect someone else's privacy or if giving you access poses a serious threat to someone's life, health or safety).

If you have any questions or concerns about how we treat your personal information, you wish to ask us to stop processing your personal information as outlined in this section, or you would like to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you, please contact us at info@goodnightoutcampaign.org or by writing to us at:

Good Night Out Campaign CIC
Flat C, 1&2 Central Buildings
Rye Lane
London
SE15 5DW

You can also request to see our Data Protection Policy and Third Party Processor Data Protection Policy by requesting them using the above contact details.

You have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection regulator (the Information Commissioner's Office) if you believe that we have not complied with applicable data protection laws.

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Good Night Out Campaign is on a mission for safer nightlife. We believe nights out should be about fun and freedom, not fear. We help nightlife spaces and organisations to better understand, respond to, and prevent sexual harassment and assault, through specialist training, policy support and an accreditation programme.

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Colchester men and women tell stories of drink spiking - Gazette

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Colchester men and women tell stories of drink spiking - Gazette

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RETURNING to the sticky-floored clubs of Colchester and beyond following 18 months of limited social interaction marked a true re-establishment of freedom.

But the return has been tainted as, according to the National Police Chiefs' Council, almost 200 drink spiking incidents have been reported to police forces across the UK in just the past two months.

There has also been 24 reports of clubbers being unknowingly injected with drugs - only realising after finding a pinprick on their bodies the next morning.

Closer to home, Essex Police are currently investigating reports of spiking in Colchester, which are believed to have occurred over an eight week period.

One of those was submitted by Emma Benjamin, 39, of Shrub End, whose daughter Shania, 18, fell victim to a suspected spiking.

During a night out in Yates in September with her friends, Shania suddenly collapsed before becoming unresponsive.

"I took her to the hospital myself and by the time we got there she was slowly coming back around, but it was like she was paralysed," Emma said.

"Her friends said they watched her change in seconds and they have never seen anything like it.

"I never ever want to see anyone go through what Shania did."

Helen Dunston, 68, also reported her youngest daughter, 27, had collapsed at a bar in the town centre before becoming "like jelly".

She said: "She could barely stand up and was clearly drugged and she remembered nothing of this the next day.

"Her condition was horrible and we were up with her all night, she was foaming at the mouth, she couldn't talk and she couldn't hold herself up."

Read more >> Woman 'could not move' after suspected Colchester spiking

More recently Isobel Pearce, 19, spoke out after she believed her and her friend's drinks were spiked.

Like Shania, she had been enjoying an evening of clubbing in Yates in Head Street.

Shortly after taking a sip of their drinks, the pair blacked out before Isobel eventually regained consciousness in the bar's toilets.

The former Colchester Sixth Form College student initially found herself incapable of moving.

"I blacked out again and the next thing I know me and my friend are being woken and picked up from an alleyway," said Isobel.

"We were lying on the floor all alone and unconscious and in our own sick.

"My friend has lost all memory from the moment of sipping the drink and mine has vanished.

"This is how unsafe we really are - it seems we really do only have each other."

A spokeswoman for Yates has stressed the safety of its customers will always be the pub chain's priority - and that is not about to change.

She also reassured revellers enhanced measures are now being put in place to prevent further spiking incidents.

Since telling their stories, other people have spoken about their own harrowing experiences of being spiked and it seems it is not a new phenomenon.

Joanne Halford was targeted when she was 21 during a Thursday evening out at the former Route nightclub in Colchester, and says it impacted her confidence.

"My drink was on the side and I was chatting and laughing with my friend and then the next thing I remember is being out on the street vomiting uncontrollably and then collapsing," she said.

"Having my drink spiked made me feel vulnerable and scared of the people around me.

"I didn't go out partying for a good while after it happened and when I plucked up the courage to go out, I decided to go out with my male group of friends.

"I only drank from bottles with a Spike Stopper, but I was nervous and couldn't enjoy the night."

Joanne, who is now 38, has blasted those who think taking advantage of others is acceptable.

She said: "I am scared for people clubbing today, especially with the new injected spiking.

"Men and women shouldn't have to worry about their drinks being spiked or being involuntarily injected with something.

"People who go around spiking others are low lives who get enjoyment out of putting someone through a horrific time.

"They are sick individuals who could potentially kill someone or submit them to an awful sexual assault."

Read more >> 'Our venues will ban anyone caught spiking' - Group takes zero-tolerance approach

Chelsey Gardner, 42, said she also had a terrifying ordeal 24 years ago while partying at the former Kings nightclub in Colchester.

After speaking with a man inside the bar she let him buy her a drink, but shortly after taking a sip Chelsey started to experience a state of paralysis.

"I stupidly let him go to the bar alone to get it and a short while later I felt like I'd lost complete control - I could hardly stand, I couldn't talk and I was sick as a pig.

"The doorman picked me up and literally threw me on to the green out the front and then left me there, but luckily my friend found me and a guy drove us to hospital.

"The next day I felt like I'd been hit by a bus, it was awful. I was so careful after that night and I have never let my drink leave my sight."

Michael Warr, 53, a truck driver, believes he was spiked while on a night out in Colchester town centre eight years.

He said: "I used to go out most weekends drinking when I was not working away and from this night I can remember the start of the evening but from 10pm I cannot remember anything.

"To wake up at midday in hospital was even more of a surprise. If you are drinking anywhere you need to be aware of your drinks."

Following the recent increase in suspected spiking reports, some campaigners are uniting to call for action.

Rae Bennison, 24, is the vice chairperson of the Essex Medusa Project, which she started up alongside chairwoman Lucy Antonia and director Lauren Shirazi.

The group launched its initiative after experiencing harassment and growing increasingly concerned over the safety of Colchester's nightlife.

They are now beginning a phased campaign which will see them distribute awareness-raising vinyl decals to venues and train workers.

The activists will also be looking to distribute anti-spiking drink covers and create safe spaces in which anyone who feels threatened can alert a relevant staff member to how they feel.

Rae said: "Colchester seems to be a dangerous place to be at night-time and all of us have experienced street harassment.

"It doesn't just happen in the unlit streets, it happens everywhere.

"This has included the crowded High Street, so we felt this project was very much needed."

To find out more about the Essex Medusa Project visit essexmedusaproject.org.

Anyone who believes their drink has been spiked should contact Essex Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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'She was foaming at the mouth' - Victims of drink spiking tell their harrowing stories

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RETURNING to the sticky-floored clubs of Colchester and beyond following 18 months of limited social interaction marked a true re-establishment of freedom. But the return has been tainted as, according to the National Police Chiefs' Council, almost 200 drink spiking incidents have been reported to police forces across the UK in just the past two months.

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Hundreds of UK drink spiking reports in the past two months - The Guardian

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Hundreds of UK drink spiking reports in the past two months - The Guardian

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Almost 200 drink spiking incidents have been reported to police forces across the UK over the past two months, the National Police Chiefs' Council said on Friday.

The NPCC said there have been 198 confirmed reports of drink spiking in September and October across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, plus 24 reports of some form of injection.

An earlier figure of 140 confirmed reports was revised after more data was received.

The number included both men and women, although the policing body said the majority of cases involved young women. Alleged offences have taken place at licensed premises and at private parties.

The 198 figure is based on data received from 40 police forces, and the NPCC said it is still to receive data from five forces, which it expects over the weekend. It said 58 of the 198 reports of drink spiking were made to the Metropolitan police.

The NPCC lead for drugs, deputy chief constable Jason Harwin, said the reports were "very concerning". He added: "We are working at pace with forces, law enforcement agencies such as the NCA [National Crime Agency] and other partners including the Home Office and universities to understand the scale of offending, establish any links between the allegations and ultimately bring any identified offenders to justice."

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of conspiring to administer poison in connection with a spate of reported drink-spiking incidents involving needles in Nottingham.

Nottinghamshire police said the men, aged 18 and 19, were detained after it received information from a member of the public on Wednesday, after a general appeal for help.

The force said both had been arrested "on suspicion of conspiracy to administer poison with intent to injure, annoy or aggrieve" and placed in police custody. The arrests are not being linked to any specific allegation of spiking by a needle or contamination of a drink.

Both men have since been released under investigation, Nottinghamshire police said in an update. The force said it would deploy extra officers to ensure people can enjoy a "safe night out".

There has been a surge in concern about drink spiking following a spate of social media reports from women who believe they may have been drugged via injection.

Earlier this week, the home secretary, Priti Patel, requested an urgent update from police on their investigations.

Meanwhile, groups from more than 60 universities across the UK have joined an online campaign calling for "Girls Night In" boycotts of nightclubs on 27 October to highlight the issue of women's safety and put pressure on venue owners to tackle the problem.

As well as calls for covers for drinks, better training for night-life staff, and for police to conduct more rigorous searches of clubbers, campaigners also say there should be dedicated welfare staff within venues to help people get home safely.

A petition to legally require nightclubs to thoroughly search guests on entry has accrued more than 165,000 signatures.

With reported incidents in four university cities across Scotland, the University of St Andrews said it would introduce measures including random bag searches, safety patrols and testing of unattended drinks at student venues in a "zero-tolerance" approach to spiking.

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Hundreds of UK drink spiking reports in the past two months

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Almost 200 drink spiking incidents have been reported to police forces across the UK over the past two months, the National Police Chiefs' Council said on Friday. The NPCC said there have been 198 confirmed reports of drink spiking in September and October across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, plus 24 reports of some form of injection.

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Drink spiking: What's being done to stop it? - BBC News

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Drink spiking: What's being done to stop it? - BBC News

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Drink spiking: What’s being done to stop it?

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From helping charge your phone in clubs to wristband testing kits, here are some changes being made.

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To spike a drink means to put alcohol or drugs into someone's drink without their knowledge or permission. This might be with the intention to incapacitate someone enough to rob or even sexually assault them. Although sometimes spiking can be intended as a joke, it's a very bad joke that is both dangerous and illegal.

There is also some concern at the possibility that people are being 'spiked' by needles/syringes containing drugs. Although this is much less likely than drink spiking, a lot of the advice for staying safe from spiking a drink can also protect you from the possibility of needle spiking too. Spiking is a criminal offence and whilst all venues should be taking steps to ensure they are safe places to be, you may still need to protect yourself, particularly if you feel at risk or you're in a place that is unfamiliar.
How to stay safe

Plan your night out, including your journey there and back.

Make sure the venue you are going to is licensed - venues are required to take steps to ensure the safety of their customers.

When going to a pub, club or party avoid going alone. Friends can look out for one another.

Be aware of what's going on around you and keep away from situations you don't feel comfortable with.

Think very carefully about whether you should leave a pub, club or party with someone you've just met.

Make sure your mobile phone has plenty of charge in it before you leave home and keep your mobile safe and accessible.

How to avoid drink spiking

Always buy your own drink and watch it being poured.

Don't accept drinks from strangers.

Never leave your drink unattended while you dance or go to the toilet.

Don't drink or taste anyone else's drink.

Throw your drink away if you think it tastes strange or different.

What to do if you think you've been spiked (by drink or needle)

If you start to feel strange, sick or drunk when you know that you couldn't be drunk, get help from a trusted friend or the venue management.

If you think you may have been spiked, ask a close friend to get you out of the venue or party as soon as possible and either take you home or to hospital (if seriously unwell). You could also ring a friend, relative or partner and ask them to come and pick you up.

If you feel unsafe, vulnerable or threatened you can ask for help by approaching venue staff and asking for 'Angela'. This is a coded-phrase that indicates you need help and a trained member of staff will support and assist you. You can also ask for 'Angela' if you are in any situation where you feel threatened or at risk.

Make sure you can trust the person you ask for help. Don't go anywhere with a stranger or someone you don't know very well.

Once you are safely home ask someone to stay with you until the effects of the drug have worn off - this might take several hours.

Don't hesitate to call for medical help if you need it - it's always better to get checked out.

Tell the police what has happened as soon as you can - we know it can be scary to do this but the police are there to help you and will listen. Call 999 or 101 - the police need to know as much as they can about spiking so they can help to stop this happening in the future.

If you have been sexually assaulted, you can contact a sexual assault referral centre for support - find your nearest centre on the NHS website.

The law
The Sexual Offences Act 2003 states that it is an offence to administer a substance, to a person with intent to overpower that person to enable sexual activity with them. It is punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment. This means that slipping alcohol or drugs into someone's drink is against the law, even if the drink is not consumed or the person is not harmed. The same would be true of needle spiking which would also be a physical assault.

If you've been affected by crime and you need confidential support or information, you can also call Victim Support on 0808 168 9111.

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Spiking - how to protect yourself on a night out | FRANK

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What does spiking mean? To spike a drink means to put alcohol or drugs into someone&39;s drink without their knowled... | FRANK

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What is needle spiking and why is it happening? - the Independent

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What is needle spiking and why is it happening? - the Independent

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What is needle spiking and why is it happening?

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A spate of incidents where victims have been spiked by injection have been reported throughout the UK

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Laura Devlin, Robby West and Debbie Tubby

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Spiking: ‘You definitely think twice about socialising now’

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Student Elle Farthing says a suspected case of needle-spiking has left her anxious on nights out.

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Don’t spike us - it’s time to shift the blame

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As incidents of drink spiking increase, so does victim blaming. Here we highlight a need for change and share the campaigns doing just that

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What you need to know about women being ‘spiked with needles’ in UK clubs - Dazed

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What you need to know about women being ‘spiked with needles’ in UK clubs - Dazed

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"I got spiked Monday night," opened an October 14 tweet by 19-year-old University of Nottingham student Zara Owen. "Please read and share, and mostly keep safe." The tweet was accompanied by screenshots of a Facebook post written by Owen, detailing her experience of an alleged new phenomenon: injection spiking. Owen - who has since shared her story with a number of press outlets - said she woke up after a night out with no memory, a sharp pain in her leg, and a pinprick where the pain was radiating from.

Owen's post has since gone viral, unearthing a number of other claims of injection spiking. In Nottingham, 19-year-old Sarah Buckle was also reportedly spiked via a needle, as was an unnamed 18-year-old. Police in Scotland are investigating claims that an 18-year-old Aberdeen University student was also spiked this way. An Exeter University student was rushed to A&E last week after allegedly being injected in the back. Leeds police are also investigating a report of spiking by injection.

21-year-old Leeds Arts University student Georgia Fulop tells Dazed that someone attempted to spike her with a needle in the city's Beaver Works club on October 15, but they didn't manage to pierce her skin. "I was walking through the club down some stairs and passed through a group going the opposite direction," she explains. "My arm suddenly hurt, so when I got down the stairs, I looked and there was a clear liquid running down my arm from a small mark and some tiny scratches. I must have moved as they tried (to inject me) so the liquid missed."

Fulop had already seen Facebook posts about injection spiking, so says she immediately "freaked out". After telling security what had happened, a shaken-up Fulop and her friends went home, before going to A&E the following day, where she had a blood test and began a course of Hepatitis B vaccines. "I feel violated," she says. "It was a terrifying experience."

In light of the horrifying accusations, a petition has been set up with the aim of making it a legal requirement for nightclubs to "thoroughly search guests on entry", with suggestions including "a pat down search or metal detector". At the time of writing, the petition has amassed over 150,000 signatures. Alongside this, a cross-country campaign called Girls Night In has been launched, calling for partygoers to boycott nightclubs on a certain day in each town or city. Boycotts are set to take place primarily in student cities, including Liverpool, Bristol, Glasgow, Manchester, Southampton, Cardiff, London, and more.

"Nightclubs need to acknowledge that safety should always be their top priority," says Southampton CASHES, the Consent Awareness and Sexual Health Education Society at the University of Southampton, which is organising the October 22 boycott in the city. "As young people, we have the power to impact their business through these boycotts. We hope that this will be a serious wake-up call for clubs to see that spiking is a major issue that occurs inside their establishments, and if they want to keep their customers, they need to tackle this issue to make people feel safe."

i got spiked monday night, please read and share, and mostly keep safe <3 pic.twitter.com/O8UZalkAZc
- zara owen (@zaraowenx) October 14, 2021

The group cites a number of measures that could help prevent spiking, including "searching people on the door, believing victims who ask for help after being spiked", and training for nightclub staff "to help someone who has been spiked and look for early signs of spiking". However, Southampton CASHES adds, "education is a powerful way to stop a problem early on".

PRYZM nightclub in Nottingham, where Owen claims to have been spiked via injection, says the nighttime industry is "the most regulated part of the hospitality sector", adding that it "works hard to create a welcoming, inclusive, and safe environment so that all our customers can enjoy a fun night out". PRYZM says its staff are "fully trained on the issue" of spiking, and that the club operates its 'We Care' policy - which includes free water for clubbers, qualified first aiders, chaperones, trained security, and more - supports the 'Ask for Angela' scheme, offers free anti-spiking bottle stoppers, protective drink covers, and drug testing kits, operates "100 per cent" searches on entry (including "metal detector arches"), and has "extensive CCTV coverage throughout the venue".

Many have criticised putting the onus on nightclubs to up security when, as PRYZM said, the industry is already heavily regulated. "Bag searches and a heavier security presence will not provide a meaningful deterrent for spiking without also addressing root causes," Bryony Beynon, the co-founder of the Good Night Out Campaign, tells Dazed. "Black people are also disproportionately more likely to be targeted for drug searches, so we must think critically about how to avoid any further racial profiling on the doors while challenging gender-based violence."

"Nightclubs need to acknowledge that safety should always be their top priority. As young people, we have the power to impact their business through these boycotts" - Southampton CASHES

As well as the potential problems raised by the forthcoming nightclub boycott, experts have questioned the plausibility of spiking via injection. Speaking to , David Caldicott, the founder of drug testing project WEDINOS, said it would take a lot of "technical and medical knowledge" to perform this type of spiking, making it "deeply improbable". "It's really hard to stick a needle in someone without them noticing, especially if you have to keep the needle in there for long enough - maybe 20 seconds - to inject enough drugs to cause this."

Adam Winstock, the director of the Global Drug Survey, added: "There are very few easily accessible drugs / medicines that could be given intramuscular in a small enough volume that people would not notice and the effects would take some time to come on. What you see in the movies is not reality."

However, several reports of symptoms of spiking and a subsequent needle pinprick shouldn't be ignored and must be properly investigated. Caldicott told VICE that one explanation could be "that this is some stupid fad of sticking needles into people, but the association between sticking needles into people and people being intoxicated and collapsing seems far-fetched at the moment". He concludes: "It's very difficult to explain."

Nottingham, Liverpool now Leeds 🥴 this is actually horrific pic.twitter.com/Hd1uftLDx2
- GPM (@georgiepmx) October 19, 2021

While those who suspect they may have been stabbed with a needle should seek immediate medical attention, there has been a troubling after-effect of these recent stories: false information about the contraction of HIV. "Online rumours someone was diagnosed with HIV shortly after a needle injury are demonstrably false," tweeted the National Aids Trust. "Getting HIV from a needle injury is extremely rare. A diagnosis takes weeks. Our thoughts are with those worried by spiking. We hope the facts about HIV can help quell some worries."

Whether or not clubbers are being spiked by injections, via drinks, or by any other means, spiking is a serious and prevalent threat to women's safety. According to The Independent, incidents of reported drink spiking in the UK increased by 108 per cent between 2015 and 2018, with 179 incidents taking place in 2017 alone. A 2016 study found that 71 per cent of spiking victims were women. These are just the reported cases - many women don't feel empowered to report spikings because of the response of club security, and society's victim-blaming attitude to violence against women.

"Many nightlife staff blame women who experience sexual assault for 'getting too drunk'. Perpetrators rely on this attitude to carry out their crimes" - Bryony Beynon, Good Night Out Campaign

"In our training sessions, many nightlife staff still blame women who experience sexual assault for 'getting too drunk'," says Beynon. "Perpetrators rely heavily on this social attitude to carry out their crimes, as a woman who has been drugged may be indistinguishable from someone who has drunk too much. Women who have been spiked have told us about door security ignoring them or treating them as a nuisance for this reason. This lack of care creates a perfect storm for perpetrators to remove them from the premises under the guise of 'looking after them.' We have to break this cycle." Beynon says that prevention tactics should include clubs sharing harm reduction information and people calling out unacceptable behaviour "on the dance floor and beyond".

Nadia Whittome, the Labour MP for Nottingham East - the city in which many alleged injection spikings have taken place - tells Dazed she's "concerned that there is a vacuum of official information on this subject". "As for solutions, ultimately we need structural and cultural change to tackle misogyny and male violence," she continues, adding that "in terms of immediate steps to tackle spikings", it should be ensured "that evidence is able to be gathered swiftly", there's "better support for victims of spiking", and that staff in clubs receive training "so they can spot the signs of spiking and know what to do if there is a suspicion that someone has been spiked".

"The atmosphere among women in Leeds is very strange right now," reveals Fulop. "Most of us are scared by everything, but we're also angry and at our ends with it. Spiking in bars and clubs has been disregarded for so long - women are finally putting their feet down and saying, 'This is enough'."

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What you need to know about women being 'spiked with needles' in UK clubs

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"I got spiked Monday night," opened an October 14 tweet by 19-year-old University of Nottingham student Zara Owen. "Please read and share, and mostly keep safe." The tweet was accompanied by screenshots of a Facebook post written by Owen, detailing her experience of an alleged new phenomenon: injection spiking.