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"Nothing Without My Consent" campaign

After COVID-19, the return to life brought Brussels, and more broadly Europe, back to face societal issues. While it should be noted that reprehensive behavior is not solely linked to nightlife and party venues, some operators had already taken the issue in hand before the epidemic, aware that they could take action and prevent such behavior in order to prioritize and protect their community, which is partly made up of minorities.

Our Contribution

The context

While nightlife is a key component of Brussels’ social, cultural and economic ecosystem, contributing significantly to social cohesion, cultural diversity and citizens’ well-being, it reflects broader societal dynamics, including structural inequality and discrimination. Experiences of racism and unequal treatment in these environments are often insufficiently documented, partly due to the normalization of certain behaviors and the lack of dedicated reporting mechanisms.

The goals

Starting in 2022, the City of Brussels has decided to support the Brussels By Night in order to jointly and consensually establish a coherent and effective action and prevention plan in the fight against gender-based and sexual violence in nightlife settings. From the outset, this action plan has been structured around several areas of focus:

  • An awareness campaign;
  • Meeting and supporting the sector;
  • The implementation of a tool in the form of a protocol addressed to professionals;
  • A series of training courses for establishment staff, in collaboration with Plan Sacha.

The work on

On this occasion, Brussels By Night contributed significantly to the deployment of the campaign posters and facilitated relations between public authorities and industry stakeholders in order to achieve the following objectives:

  • Identify key nightlife locations for the campaign;
  • Coordinate the rollout of the campaign simultaneously with the reopening of establishments;
  • Inform and raise awareness among its members and the public about issues related to gender-based and sexual violence in nightlife settings

More than 200 posters were displayed in bars and clubs throughout the city as early as 2022. The Campaign was relaunched, by translating and hanging again the posters in 2023 and 2024. We also have printed “Nothing Without My Consent” banners, which we are making available to organizations wishing to display these visuals at their events. 

In 2025, the campaign was relaunched once again, using a promotional video created in collaboration with the City, various Brussels Club and Regal Films.