July 3, 2025, WLWT5
Women Helping Women, a Cincinnati-based nonprofit focused on ending gender-based violence, is offering its Brave Bar training to bar staff throughout the region. The two-hour, evidence-based program teaches employees how to recognize red flags, de-escalate risky situations, and step in when something doesn’t feel right.
Northside Tavern is among the first bars to complete the training and proudly displays the program’s poster outside its entrance.
“We’ve been here 23 years,” said owner Edward Rush. “It’s not just about the music and the drinks. We’ve always tried to create a space where everyone feels comfortable, especially women.”
Rush said the partnership with Women Helping Women was a natural fit. “We met up with Conor, and it was perfect.”
That’s Conor Jameson, a prevention educator for the organization. Jameson says the goal is to empower bar staff with tools to keep both patrons and employees safe, especially in environments where alcohol is involved.
“Alcohol is involved in 50 to 71 percent of sexual assaults,” Jameson said. “That means alcohol is strategically being used to make people vulnerable.”
In addition to in-person training, Women Helping Women also provides bars with discreet tools like code words and safety posters to help customers signal for help. Staff is taught to intervene when they see signs of power and control being exercised in a harmful way.
“The strategies that we offer really focus on ‘Where are you seeing power and control, and how can you shut that down?” Jameson added.
But it’s not just about protecting patrons.
Amber Malott, vice president of Women Helping Women, says the training also supports bar staff, especially in an industry where 71% of workers report experiencing sexual harassment.
“We’re not asking bartenders to be investigators,” Malott said. “We just want them to have the knowledge and information.”
She added, “It’s not only just for patrons to feel safe, but it’s also for folks working in this industry to be aware that their employer has their back.”
Bars interested in the Brave Bar training can sign up here.
If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, help is available. Call or text Women Helping Women’s 24-hour crisis hotline at 513-381-5610 for immediate, confidential support.
