Almost nothing is known about "unwanted sexual attention" and women's navigation of it when in bars and nightclubs. Using focus group discussions this article addresses that gap. It develops knowledge of the behaviors that constitute unwanted, the safety strategies used to manage them and examines how these practices underpin gender performance in night-time spaces: environments renowned for the dilemmas they pose to women. We then use these data to develop the concept "feisty femininity" to highlight a neglected form of femininity that overtly resists unwanted encounters. This femininity can arguably play a role in efforts aimed at ending gendered violence.

An increasingly dominant neo-abolitionist perspective on the issue of prostitution is currently taking hold across Europe. Pioneered in Sweden, this approach considers prostitution as inherently oppressive and seeks to tackle the dynamics of supply and demand by criminalising purchasers and offering support to sellers who are regarded as victims. Against recent calls from both the European Parliament and an All Party Parliamentary Group on prostitution to universalise this model, we urge caution against moving any further in this direction. Our argument is informed, not only by critical accounts of the 'Nordic model', but also by emerging research which highlights the negative effects of recent criminal and 'therapeutic' interventions in England and Wales that have already attempted to reduce the demand and supply of commercial sex: the strict liability offence of paying for sexual services of a prostitute subject to exploitation and Engagement and Support Orders (ESOs) for on-street sex workers.We offer both normative insights and draw upon the findings of the first empirical study of ESOs, in order to highlight the problems that emerge when the complexities of commercial sexual exchange are reduced into a binary of 'victims and victimizers' to be saved or corrected by criminal justice sanctioned initiatives. In conclusion, we argue for a more productive use of the criminal law that complements rather than eclipses the wider social justice concerns in this arena.2

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Anti-rape campaign messages have increasingly targeted men in order to educate them on the law of (sexual) consent. The 18-24 age demographic are at increased risk of experiencing sex offences, with over half of these crimes involving alcohol consumption. The interactions which culminate in alcohol involved rape often commence in night time venues, making intuitive sense for prevention campaigns to be based within licensed establishments. The Night Time Economy, however, comprises venues where people go to drink, have fun, take 'time out' and are characterised and criticised for their promotion of sexism. This article therefore asks: how useful are licensed spaces in promoting rape prevention discourses amongst young men? To this end, the paper analyses 41 students' discussions (across six focus groups) regarding a rape prevention campaign that ran in one English city and that directed its prevention advice at males. In doing so, we argue that environments which incite narratives of loss of control and hypersexuality compromise the ability to counter sexual offending. We also argue that the presence of sexually violent advertising within licenced spaces undermines considerably the call to end gendered violence.

BackgroundSexual offences are a global public health concern. Recent changes in the law in England and Wales have dramatically altered the legal landscape of sexual offences, but sexual assaults where the victim is voluntarily intoxicated by alcohol continue to have low conviction rates. Worldwide, students are high consumers of alcohol. This research aimed to compare male and female students in relation to their knowledge and attitudes about alcohol and sexual activity and to identify factors associated with being the victim of alcohol-related non-consensual sex.Methods1,110 students completed an online questionnaire. Drinking levels were measured using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test. Non-consensual sexual experiences were measured using the Sexual Experience Survey. Univariate and multivariate analyses were undertaken using chi square and backwards stepwise logistic regression respectively.ResultsA third of respondents had experienced alcohol-related non-consensual sex. Male and female students differed in the importance they gave to cues in deciding if a person wished to have sex with them and their understanding of the law of consent. 82.2% of women who had experienced alcohol-related non-consensual sex were hazardous drinkers compared to 62.9% who drank at lower levels (P < 0.001). Differences existed between men and women, and between those who had and had not experienced alcohol-related non-consensual sex, in relation to assessments of culpability in scenarios depicting alcohol-related intercourse. A third of respondents believed that a significant proportion of rapes were false allegations; significantly more men than women responded in this way.ConclusionsAlcohol-related coerced sexual activity is a significant occurrence among students; attitudinal and knowledge differences between males and females may explain this. Educational messages that focus upon what is deemed acceptable sexual behaviour, the law and rape myths are needed but are set against a backdrop where drunkenness is commonplace.