This bar bathroom poster is going viral for all the right reasons.
You shouldn't be scared to ask for help when you have a bad feeling.
Saving yourself from a potentially dangerous situation while on a date could be as easy as saying someone's name to the bartender.
At least, it should be that easy in an ideal world.
Picture this: You're on a date with someone you just met. You start to get a bad vibe. You have a feeling the situation is heading somewhere dangerous. If you leave with this person, there's a chance you might end up in a risky situation.
Image via iStock.
Your solution: Just ask for "Angela."
In Lincolnshire, U.K., "asking for Angela" is a new and effective way to combat sexual assault and abuse.
The campaign, titled #NoMore, launched in Lincolnshire recently and went viral after a woman shared a photo of the poster inside a women's restroom. As of now, the image has been shared over 30,000 times.
The name has special meanings, too. Hayley Child, a substance misuse and sexual violence coordinator for Lincolnshire County Council, says it's a partial play on "guardian angel." It's also named after Angela Crompton, a friend of a friend who was killed by her husband. Child hopes this program will eventually be implemented worldwide.
Posters like this one were placed in schools, on university campuses, and in bar restrooms in Lincolnshire during the last two weeks of September 2016:
Poster by Safer Communities Lincolnshire.
The main idea is to help someone get out of a potentially dangerous scenario by inconspicuously asking for "Angela." That's the bar staff's cue to either call you a taxi or help get you out of that situation without causing a big scene. Perhaps the staff could conveniently notify you that your "car's being towed" to cause a disruption and get you out of the date. You get the idea.
Child said, "Sexual abuse and violence is an national issue and all councils have a responsibility to tackle abuse. This was Lincolnshire Community Safety Partnership's first awareness raising campaign on this issue."
People got so excited about this campaign that there are plans to roll out the efforts again in February 2017 as a response to National Sexual Violence and Abuse Awareness Week.
This idea is important because it offers a completely non-obvious way of asking for help. It's also free to implement anywhere.
Ultimately, #NoMore's goal is to keep spreading the word about this idea on social media and in your local community. You're invited to download a poster, take photos with it, and share those images on your social media channels using the #NoMore hashtag.
Image via iStock.
"It's very new, but the positive feedback from the public and bar staff has demonstrated they wanted something like this and are happy to know this support is available," Child said.
Plus, the more we can promote our solidarity against sexual violence and abuse, the better. It'll get us just a bit closer to a world where if you or someone you love are in a situation that require some serious saving, you can always politely ask for "Angela."