Noctambul@s - Observatory, training and intervention on the relationship between drug use and sexual abuse in leisure settings

The Noctámbul@s Project grew out of an Observatory that aims to explore in depth the relationship between drug use, harassment and sexual abuse in nightlife settings. Its studies are framed within a prevention and risk reduction approach, based on universal and selective intervention actions.

This project is funded by the National Plan on Drugs of the Ministry of Health and is carried out in the Community of Madrid, the Valencian Community and Catalonia.

Sexual abuse and the high tolerance of it in leisure settings represent one of the main risks associated not only with abuse but also with drug use in leisure settings as such. The historical lack of a gender perspective in the drugs field has gradually been remedied in the treatment of women with drug addiction; although there is still a long way to go, progress has been made. However, until now, in prevention and/or risk reduction contexts, the specific issue of sexual violence has not been named, even though it is –paradoxically, and in light of the results found– one of the main risks of the “night”, especially for women. Our society’s high tolerance of sexually abusive behaviour –especially under the influence of drugs– has helped to conceal the phenomenon. That is why, with this observatory, Fundación Salud y Comunidad seeks to maintain a stable, specific line of work based on analysis and preventive intervention, which aims to change the outlook of young people, but also of the professionals who work in these contexts (both in the leisure industry and in prevention/risk reduction).

The aim is to establish a stable, permanently updated Observatory that will allow us to:

• Continuously update the keys that shape the dynamics of today’s youth leisure and its changes, in order to understand which trends currently structure young people’s leisure, drug use, and the relationship between these habits and sexual abuse, so as to find out where they are heading.
• Understand attitudes, uses and habits regarding psychoactive substances among young people and their relationship with the dynamics of sexual abuse and violence.
• Obtain a list of preventive ideas to minimise the risks arising from drug use and sexual abuse in leisure settings.

Likewise, Fundación Salud y Comunidad (FSC) offers, through the Noctámbul@s Observatory, a series of interventions, studies and training activities for town councils, municipal resources, organisations specialising in leisure settings and other local bodies to address the sexual violence that may occur in leisure spaces.

The main groups targeted by the interventions are both professionals from local bodies and the agents who act as specialised educators in leisure settings. Accordingly, many actions have been carried out, such as “Young Agents for the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Leisure Spaces”, “Co-education in the World of Leisure: Tools for the Prevention of Gender Violence”, courses and training workshops in the Canary Islands, Aragon, Madrid, the Valencian Community, Asturias, Galicia, Andalusia and other autonomous communities, as well as participation in the European study Sexism Free Night.