Still taking back the night

A world in which we still need to fight violence against women seems far away as I sit at my desk and look out at my sun-dappled garden of morning glories, brown-eyed susans, hollyhocks and crysanthemums.

However, Take Back the Night marches, rallies, speak outs and other gatherings are not at all far away as we move into September.

The first Take Back the Night march was held in Belgium in 1977, organized by women attending the International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women. TBTN spread quickly, with communities in other countries, including Canada, hosting marches by the late 1970s.

Originally, TBTN focused on sexual violence, in particular sexual violence experienced by women in public spaces. It was an opportunity for women to come together to take back and celebrate their use of those spaces as well as to call for an end to sexual violence against women.

In the 30+ years since those first marches, TBTN has broadened to address all forms of violence against women, whether public or private.

For many years, TBTN events were large, loud gatherings of women who took to the streets to express our rage at violence against women and our commitment to claiming our own space and liberty.

But enthusiasm for TBTN seems to be waning. Too many of us find excuses not to go or go just to the rally and skip the march. It can feel pointless and maybe even kind of embarrassing to walk through the streets yelling for an end to violence against women, when no one else seems to be interested.

I want to encourage all of us, wherever we are, to get back into the streets for TBTN 2009. We still have a long way to go to end violence against women. TBTN provides an important opportunity for us to be visible in our communities, speaking out for women’s economic, political and social equality and demanding an end to violence against women.

After all, if we don’t demand it, who will?

Renfrew Take Back the Night, 2009

Brockville Take Back the Night, 2004