“No Callamos” (We Do Not Keep Quiet) Protocol

The protocol operates across Barcelona’s nightlife scene, and by 2022 had been put into practice in 39 venues across the city, including music halls, music festivals and other facilities hosting large events.

• Raise awareness and train the staff of nightlife venues and festivals to improve the detection, care, accompaniment and referral of people who suffer any situation against sexual and gender freedom.
• Sensitise the wider public so that they know how to recognise a situation that violates their sexual and gender freedom.
• Make known how the “No Callamos” protocol can help if a person needs support.
• Establish the steps to be taken to improve the care and experience of the affected person: welcoming her, listening to her, and providing her with the information she needs to make her own decisions and facilitate her recovery from the impact.
• Improve the language used to describe incidents, avoiding hasty references to legal concepts that can condition or confuse the affected person – for example, referring to sexual aggression in situations that in fact involve discrimination.

Beyond the protocol itself, launched through the signing of an adhesion agreement, “No Callamos” is built around a set of concrete instruments and practices to combat gender-based violence:

• Training: staff working in adhered venues receive specific training from the City Council, covering prevention and identification of male violence and the tools needed to act in a possible case of aggression or harassment, through dedicated materials and face-to-face sessions.
• Accompaniment: venues adhered to the protocol have the support of personnel specialised in male violence, who can travel to the site to guide those responsible and staff, ensuring the correct application of prevention and response measures – both in the physical review of the spaces and in handling cases of aggression or harassment.
• Monitoring and coordination: the City Council collects weekly data on reported incidents, whether received directly from venue contacts or reported through social media or by telephone, and venues commit to reporting all detected cases within a maximum of 36 hours.
• Prevention: venues apply specific measures to prevent gender-based violence and discrimination, such as limiting access to people showing harassing or disrespectful attitudes and behaviour, avoiding sexist criteria like gender-differentiated prices or dress codes, and evaluating their own spaces to detect vulnerable areas – dark or hidden corners – that could allow risky situations to occur.

• Workers and managers of music venues, festivals and multi-activity infrastructures, including mass events
• Users of these spaces
• Direction of Feminisms and LGTBI Services of the Barcelona City Council
• Feminist and women’s rights organisations

“No Callamos” emerged as a socially innovative response to the growing recognition of harassment and assault in leisure spaces such as clubs, bars and festivals, and to demands from feminist movements and civil society organisations for a systemic, institutional response that went beyond individual or punitive action. The aim was to promote shared responsibility, so that nightlife spaces themselves would become agents of prevention and protection.

The protocol was developed through a hybrid model combining top-down and bottom-up approaches. From the top down, the City Council designed the protocol, established formal agreements with nightlife venues, and provided institutional resources and training; participating venues committed, through a collaboration agreement, to having trained staff available to respond to incidents of harassment and aggression. From the bottom up, feminist and women’s rights organizations were consulted during the initial design phase, contributing their expertise to ensure the protocol addressed real-life situations and used appropriate language. Focus groups and workshops with venue workers and management helped identify their needs and practical limitations and were crucial for developing actionable procedures for recognising harassment, assisting victims, and managing aggressors respectfully and effectively.

Training sessions incorporated participatory elements such as role-playing and scenario-based exercises, adapted over time based on feedback from venue staff and civil society organisations. Feedback loops built into the implementation process allowed venues and community organisations to report challenges and suggest improvements, an iterative approach that led to real adaptations of the protocol – including the publication of an easy-read version to improve accessibility.

• Behavioural innovation: the protocol actively encourages a change in how people perceive and respond to sexual harassment and violence in public leisure settings, training nightlife staff to recognise and intervene in inappropriate behaviour and raising public awareness through signage and campaigns. Patrons are also empowered to act differently – discreetly seeking help or acting as active bystanders – shifting the behavioural norms previously associated with silence or inaction.
• Social practice innovation: “No Callamos” challenges the long-standing practice of minimising or ignoring harassment in nightlife environments, replacing it with new norms of vigilance, responsibility and solidarity. New social routines aimed at prevention and immediate support include asking for “Ángela” as a discreet way to signal a need for help, and the visible presence of trained staff and “Puntos Lila” (lilac points) in venues.
• Organisational innovation: the protocol requires nightlife venues to restructure aspects of their internal operations, including assigning trained staff for incident response, revising access policies to avoid discriminatory criteria, and formalising commitments through agreements with the City Council. These changes show how private entities can be mobilised toward public-interest goals without relying solely on regulation or coercion.
• Process innovation: the development and implementation of the protocol introduced new multi-stakeholder processes involving the City Council, feminist organisations, nightlife businesses and venue staff – co-creation workshops, ongoing training programmes, feedback mechanisms and periodic reviews – institutionalising prevention and response through a coordinated, participatory and adaptable process, rather than relying on reactive or isolated interventions.

Technology plays a complementary, rather than central, role in “No Callamos”, since the initiative’s core rests on human interaction, training and changes to social and institutional practice. Even so, several digital tools support its visibility, accessibility and potential for expansion:

• The protocol and all supporting materials – guides, brochures and an easy-read (“lectura fácil”) version – are available online through the Barcelona City Council’s official website, improving access for professionals and the public and supporting transparency and dissemination.
• Digital communication tools are used in public awareness campaigns associated with the protocol, including social media, city websites and digital signage in public transport and participating venues, reinforcing key messages about zero tolerance for sexual violence and how to act in the event of an incident.
• Mobile-friendly resources such as downloadable guides and infographics support the initiative, and, while the protocol itself does not rely on real-time technological interventions such as apps or panic buttons, the digital availability of its materials has supported its replication and sustainability at scale.

The City of Barcelona has also pursued broader, tech-driven strategies for preventing gender-based violence in public spaces – exploratory projects on mobile alert applications and mapping of safe and unsafe zones – which, while not directly embedded in “No Callamos”, align with its objectives and contribute to a wider ecosystem of technology-supported urban safety.

• The number of adhered establishments grew from 8 in 2018 to 39 by 2022, reflecting a rising level of commitment from the nightlife sector.
• More than 1,500 employees have received specialised training, equipping bar, club and festival staff with the tools to act swiftly and respectfully when an incident occurs.
• According to the source material, the venue involved in the widely reported case of the sexual assault by footballer Dani Alves had adhered to the “No Callamos” protocol, and the protocol’s rapid application is credited with helping ensure the case did not go unaddressed.
• There has been a reported improvement in perceived safety among women and LGTBI+ individuals in venues that have adhered to the protocol and set up “Puntos Lila” – visible support points that act as both deterrents and safe spaces, reinforcing the message that harassment will not be tolerated.
• The initiative has strengthened collaboration and trust between the public administration and the private sector, with the City Council’s visible leadership and its alignment with feminist civil society organisations reinforcing public trust.
• While precise crime statistics directly linked to the protocol are limited, internal assessments from the City Council point to positive feedback from users and staff, and participating venues have reported improved preparedness and reduced tolerance for abusive behaviour. The protocol’s formal extension to 2026 reflects its perceived effectiveness and institutional value.

• Collaboration between multiple stakeholders – public authorities, nightlife venues, civil society organisations (particularly feminist groups), and frontline workers – was essential, ensuring the intervention was both practical and socially legitimate.
• Co-creation and participatory methodology, involving those directly affected such as venue staff and potential victims, helped create a solution that was context-sensitive, feasible and supported by its users, through workshops, focus groups and open feedback channels.
• Ongoing training and support, rather than one-time interventions, contribute to lasting behavioural change and the internalisation of new practices.
• A phased and flexible rollout – starting with a small number of venues before scaling up – allowed for testing and refinement, built credibility, and helped bring initially hesitant stakeholders on board.
• Visible public commitment and communication – public campaigns, clear signage in venues, and leadership from the City Council – reinforced the message that sexual violence is unacceptable, increasing public trust and fostering a shared sense of responsibility.

• The protocol relies heavily on nightlife venues being willing to participate. As it is not mandatory, some bars, clubs or festivals may choose not to join, leaving gaps in safety coverage across the city.
• Its effectiveness depends on staff training, which can vary from venue to venue; if staff are not well trained, frequently rotate, or do not take the protocol seriously, it may not be applied properly when it is needed most.
• The protocol mainly addresses what happens inside nightlife spaces, without fully covering what happens before or after – on the street, on public transport, or in private homes – even though many incidents occur in these settings, making it only a partial solution to a broader problem.
• There is a lack of public data or evaluation reports clearly demonstrating the extent to which the protocol has improved safety or reduced incidents; while internal assessments and testimonials suggest positive results, more formal evidence would strengthen the case.
• Because the protocol relies more on human action than technology, it may miss opportunities to use digital tools such as apps or alert systems that could improve response times and help victims report incidents more discreetly.

The “No Callamos” protocol remains active and continues to be implemented across Barcelona. Since its 2018 launch, the City Council has worked to make it a long-term part of public safety policy rather than a short-term project, renewing and expanding collaboration agreements with nightlife venues – growing from eight venues at launch to more than 39 by 2024 – and extending the protocol until at least 2026.

Regular training sessions for staff in participating venues support this continuity, helping new employees understand how to apply the protocol and ensuring that knowledge is maintained over time even as staff change. The protocol is also integrated into wider public awareness campaigns and city-wide initiatives against gender-based violence, keeping the issue visible in public life and helping build a culture of zero tolerance for harassment. All materials, including the easy-read version, remain available online, supporting long-term use without the need for constant external funding, and making it easier for other cities or groups interested in adopting the protocol to do so.