You are sitting on an oak barrel stool in a newly opened taproom downtown. The bar is noisy, filled with the usual after work crowd. A man sits down across from you, and begins a conversation. However the man is drunk, and the conversation quickly digresses into lewd and aggressive commentary. You feel uneasy. You try to leave, but the man follows you. He is persistent, and a large pit forms in the bottom of your stomach.

A poster you saw earlier in the bathroom comes to mind, and you head over to the bartender. The man is still behind you.

“Can I help you?” asks the bartender.

“Yes, I am looking for Angela.”

It is an unfortunate reality that most women have experienced some variation of the scenario described above. The combination of alcohol and large crowds create prime opportunities for sexual assault incidents. Often women put in situations like the one mentioned above, feel uncomfortable, but are afraid of asking for help in the event that they cause a scene. The “Ask for Angela” campaign is a discreet way for women to request help.

It began in the county of Lincolnshire in England. The idea was that anyone who felt unsafe could ask a bar staffer for “Angela”. This was code and alerted the bar that you needed help. Depending on the situation the staffer would: escort you to your car, call an uber or a taxi for you, or in serious cases call the police.

ADVERTISING One of the compelling pieces of this campaign was the focus on discreteness. It was meant as a way of providing help to women who might feel trapped, but did not want to cause a scene. The trick was how to get the word to spread without attracting too much attention. The message needed to be public, but it also still needed to feel private. A message between women. Paradoxical at first, the county came up with a clever way of advertising their new campaign.

They decided to put up posters in women’s bathrooms at all of the participating bars. This proved quite successful, and garnered a lot of traction on social media. Women began tweeting and instagramming about the campaign, and the word spread like wildfire. Here is a transcript of a poster put up in a restroom describing the method:

The campaign proved such a success in Lincolnshire county that other places within the United Kingdom and within the United States began implementing different versions of this campaign. In St. Petersburg Florida, the Iberian Restaurant put up a sign in their women’s bathroom that read:

“Is your Tinder date not who they said they were on their profile? Do you feel unsafe, or even just a bit weird? We’re here to help. Just got to the bar and order an Angel shot.”

Although not perfect, this is one step in the right direction to provide a safer space for women, nightlife that everyone can enjoy.

This campaign is part of a wider movement, #nomore aimed at creating more public awareness around issues of sexual violence and domestic abuse.

Cheers to that!