Over 30 participants marched in the 31st annual Take Back the Night hosted by Women’s Sexual Assault Centre of Renfrew County on September 19, 2024. Take Back The Night (TBTN) is a global movement against sexual violence that began in the 1970s. It started with a Tribunal Council in Belgium, where over 2,000 women from 40+ countries gathered to protest the lack of safety for women at night. In 1973, women at the University of Southern Florida marched demanding a women’s center, and in 1975, Philadelphia held a TBTN event after the murder of a local microbiologist. San Francisco also saw protests against violent pornography.
These early efforts inspired thousands of events worldwide, from small towns to major cities, college campuses, and military bases, all fighting sexual violence. Today, TBTN continues to grow, reaching millions each year. This years TBTN happened in Petawawa with Chantal Gauthier Communications Coordinator for Renfrew County Sexual Assault & Rape Crisis Support Centre. Gauthier tells myFM who these events are for.
In 2023 there were 146 reported level one, two and three sexual assault cases in Renfrew County, which is roughly one reported case every three days. According to Lori Norwood, Director of Renfrew County Sexual Assault & Rape Crisis Support Centre if you take into account that only 10 to 20 per cent are actually reported to the police, the number is more like 500.
The theme for the 31st TBTN march was community partnership, Norwood expressed the importance of the theme and how it goes hand in hand.
For more information on Take Back the Night, you can check out Home – Take Back the Night | End Sexual & Domestic Violence | Get Help!
(Written by: Emma Butler)