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It's not exactly rare to rock up to a Tinder or Grindr date to meet a hottie, only to be confronted with someone that looks nothing like their photos, and is a little bit, er, weird. So it's great news that Merton is the first London borough to follow Lincolnshire's lead in introducing the Ask For Angela safety campaign.
The posters displayed in pub loos received worldwide acclaim for their subtle but effective approach to tackling sexually threatening behaviour.
The flyers let people know that if they feel threatened or unsafe on a date then they can use the code word 'Angela' to seek help from a member of staff.
'Is your Tinder or PoF date not who they said they were on their profile?', 'Do you feel like you're not in a safe situation?' they ask, explaining that if you ask for Angela at the bar, the staff will call you a taxi or help you out of the situation 'without too much fuss'.
Merton’s lead councillor on domestic violence issues, Councillor Katy Neep said: 'Merton is one of London’s safest boroughs, and ensuring that people feel safe and supported in Merton is top of our agenda. Being the first London borough to roll out Ask for Angela demonstrates our commitment to this. I hope that any individual who feels a situation is not quite right will be able to ask for help and get the support they need using this innovative campaign.'
The campaign is part of the Say No More initiative which aims to end domestic and sexual violence. Find out more at merton.gov.
If you have experienced sexual violence and want to seek help, you can talk to Rape Crisis London on 020 7683 1210.