When nightclub security agents assault clients more insight through a qualitative approach

Bartenders and Customers’ Interactions. Influence on Sexual Assaults in Nightlife

“…In light of these findings, this study constitutes a pioneering contribution to the literature on casual encounters in the nightlife context [5,6,64,65] and to the study of the situations and elements that may contribute to the occurrence of sexual abuse situations in such venues [33,50,66]. Furthermore, although prior studies have investigated the role of staff in relation to violent events occurring in nightlife venues [49,51] or the behavior of male customers with high levels of alcohol consumption [56,58], our study explores a dimension that has not been previously analyzed: the interactions established between some bartenders and some customers and how these interactions can influence possible sexual assault situations.…”

“…The role of bar and nightclub staff in the occurrence and prevention of violence and, more specifically, in events that involve groups of men engaging in fights has been widely analyzed. There is a body of literature reporting on the excessive use of violence by bouncers and other security staff in nightclubs [49] and also research [27] analyzing aggression between patrons and towards bouncers and barmaids. Additionally, research from Graham and colleagues [50] shows the very passive nature of security staff in relation to eventual acts of aggression towards women and sexual assault, in which they rarely intervene, especially when violence takes the form of harassment that is not strictly physical [50,51].…”