Several bars and restaurants in Mechelen have joined a new city campaign, “Your evening, your boundaries,” aimed at helping people get assistance discreetly if they feel unsafe on a night out.
The initiative is being led by the city’s prevention service and relaunches the earlier “Ask for Angela” campaign in a new form. It is intended to make it easier for customers who are being harassed to seek help from hospitality staff.
“The problem is not widespread in Mechelen, but that does not mean it never happens,” said prevention councillor Abdrahman Labsir. “A night out is always about balancing enjoyment and liveability, and it has to remain pleasant for everyone.”
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Mechelen first introduced “Ask for Angela” in 2022. Under that scheme, anyone feeling unsafe could ask staff for “Angela” as a coded request for help. City officials say the campaign worked well, but in recent months it became clear that not all customers knew about it. As a result, the initiative had faded somewhat into the background.
By linking the new campaign to the more widely recognised message “No means no,” the city and hospitality operators hope to ensure everyone feels safe when going out.
Labsir said “Ask for Angela” had served its purpose, but high staff turnover in the hospitality sector had made it difficult to keep the campaign visible. “That is why we are now joining a broader ‘No means no’ campaign and translating it in Mechelen as ‘Your evening, your boundaries,’” he said.
Participating venues will display clearly visible posters showing that anyone who needs help can approach staff. Employees will also receive clear instructions from their employers on how to respond, when and how to intervene, and when to call the police or emergency services.
“The campaign is clearer than ‘Ask for Angela,’ including for people from outside Mechelen who come here for a night out,” said Johannes Beyens, vice-chair of Horeca Mechelen. “We fully support the initiative.”
He said there were no concrete figures on the impact of the previous campaign, but staff were certainly not approached every week. “It is good that every customer knows they can turn to us, and that potential perpetrators also get the message that certain behaviour will not be tolerated,” he said.
The campaign will be evaluated after six months.
