On the 24th of February, during our national holiday of love, Dragobete, within Diverta Lipscani, Necuvinte Association in partnership with the General Direction of Bucharest Police, took place the launch of the prevention and awareness „Vorbește cu Angela” (Ask for Angela) campaign, which is at the moment a pilot project that is to be implemented in the area of the Old City (Centrul Vechi) of Bucharest.

This campaign is financed by JYSK România. Our media partner: Șapte Seri.

During the event, there have been representatives of the General Direction of Bucharest Police, The General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police, the National Agency of Equal Opportunities between Women and Men, The National Agency Against Human Trafficking, the British Embassy in Bucharest, representatives of the academia, non-governmental organisations, local and national press, representatives of JYSK Romania. Thank you all for attendance!

Photo: Comisar de poliție Bogdan Trandafir – Șef Birou Agresiuni Sexuale; Comisar-șef de poliție Aurelian Ciocîrlan – Director General Adjunct; Simona Voicescu – Președinta Asociația Necuvinte; Comisar-şef de poliţie Diana Sarca –  Șef Serviciu Serviciul Informare şi Relaţii Publice

Where did “Vorbește cu Angela”/”Ask for Angela” come from?

„Ask for Angela” – A campaign with the purpose of preventing sexual crimes has been launched in 2016 in Great Britain, by Hayley Child, an expert in issues related to alcohol consumption and sexual assaults within the Local Council of Lincolnshire. She came up with the idea of creating a code through which the persons who are in danger within a club to be able to ask for help in a discreet manner, from the clubs’ staff. The project has began in collaboration with the Lincolnshire Police. In less than 3 years since it has been launched, the campaign was adapted in several other countries, such as Australia, Spain, Ireland.

What does “Vorbește cu Angela”/”Ask for Angela” actually mean?

Angela is actually a code word, an interface for the state’s intervention system. It can be easily remembered and it is friendly. It does not draw attention and it provides an easy way of getting out of a difficult context.

In collaboration with the General Direction of Bucharest Police, the staff of the bars and clubs from the Old City will be trained in order to recognise this cod as a call for help and to isolate the person who is in a difficult situation by taking her into a safe space of the club, in order to find out more details about the situation. According to what the person using the “Angela” code describes, the staff member can call a cab, the family/friends or the police, thus making sure, in a discreet manner, that she is safe.

Find out more about this project: Vorbește cu Angela.