A cornerstone for sexual and domestic violence survivors
Nearly 200 community members and students gathered with the a collective objective to “Take Back the Night” at Marianne’s Park on Thurs, Sept. 22. Organized by Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis, participants rallied in solidarity with survivors of sexual and domestic violence. After a welcoming reception and an introduction from a survivor of sexual assault, the group was escorted by Guelph Police on a route through Guelph’s downtown core.
The group marched, cheered, and rallied their way through the streets of downtown and back to Marianne’s Park, a space dedicated to Marianne Goulden who previously had accessed Women in Crisis services and was later murdered by her common-law partner. The march was greeted with hoots, hollers, and honks of support from those passing by on foot and in traffic.
“This event has been running in Guelph for the last 30 years…”
This event has been running in Guelph for the last 30 years in partnership with the Take Back the Night Foundation, an internationally celebrated non-profit organization boasting demonstrations in over 30 countries. Interestingly, one of the first Take Back the Night protests ignited in 1975 as a response to tremendous outcry after microbiologist Susan Alexander Speech was stabbed to death walking home alone in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Since then, Take Back the Night has swelled to a massive scale, prompting thousands of annual candlelight vigils, marches, and rallies advocating for an end to sexual and domestic violence.
Jessica St. Peter, a public educator at Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis, acts as a primary event coordinator for Take Back the Night. She deemed last Thursday’s events as a tremendous success; noting the boisterous participants as the most high-energy group she’s seen in the past seven years.
St. Peter later explained the impact the occasion has on survivors who access Women in Crisis services. Experiencing overt expressions of community support can be very impactful for survivors, predominantly women, who often might feel isolated and stigmatized. This year’s turnout held its significant share of high school students.
“Experiencing overt expressions of community support can be very impactful for survivors…”
“It’s important that the students came out,” said St. Peter. “These young students have already begun to learn and unlearn things surrounding gender-based violence that we perpetuate in society. That doesn’t often happen before attending university.”
St. Peter suggested that awareness regarding sexual violence is very much a generational shift. More and more, young people are learning what they can do to help set a precedent for what is deemed acceptable behaviour. For example, by being an active bystander and addressing occurrences such as catcalling and touching without consent at bars. St. Peter hopes that, because of their apparent awareness on the matter, that these young students will make for better leaders in the years to come.
Take Back the Night has traditionally been a women-only event but, after much contention, last year was the first time everyone was invited to participate. Since Take Back the Night was previously the only established women-only event in the city of Guelph, the planning committee has been met with some understandable criticism in giving up this position. However, this pushback has been equally matched with the prospective unity and growing solidarity from brothers, fathers, and friends.
Photo by Kate Schievink.