An Aussie nightclub has banned staring without 'verbal consent' in a move to crack down on harassment.
Club 77 in Sydney has introduced new rules to create a safe space for party goers by operating on a zero-tolerance policy on harassment.
The move is part of a new safety and harassment policy the company introduced in a bid to make the venue safer after recently attracting people who don't share their "values and ethics when it comes to club culture, consent and harassment".
The new policy states patrons must be given verbal consent before interacting with strangers, including staring from afar, and a designated 'safety officer' in a pink hi-vis vest will enforce these rules.
The goal was to discourage people from coming to the nightclub for the sole purpose of meeting someone to "pick up".
If a patron fails to follow the new rules they will be kicked out of the club and the police will be called.
"As a nightclub, we encourage you to interact with strangers, however, any engagement MUST begin with verbal consent," Club 77 said.
"This also applies if you are, for example, staring at someone from afar. If the attention you are giving someone is unwanted, that is considered harassment."
However, where the line between accidentally making eye contact and staring was not fully explained.
The nightclub said that creating a safer space goes beyond implementing practices to deal with incidents after they occur and they have an obligation to educate new club goers on acceptable behaviour.
The new rules created heated debate between those in support and those against the policy.
"What a joke stating is normal human interaction," one person commented.
"Backing this 100 percent," another said.
Club 77 owner Dane Gorrel has recently defended the decision, clarifying that patrons will not be thrown out of the club simply for looking at another person.
He said it will be brought to the attention of security and a conversation will entail.
"Our goal is to educate people about safety and how to act responsibly," Gorrel told NCA Newswire: "We are dealing with an unprecedented amount of young people, people who have never gone out before.
"Anyone that comes into our venue has a right to feel safe the entire time they are in the venue," Gorrel continued.
