Reclaim the Night is an annual march which aims to call attention to the plight of women and the ‘rape culture’ which means that few rapists are reported, let alone convicted.
No young woman could sincerely say that she has never been given advice on avoiding rape. We are told to wear longer skirts; to avoid getting drunk; to go out in groups – the list goes on and on. However, many women believe that this perpetuates the idea that women who are raped are somehow at fault – that it is partly their fault for ‘encouraging’ the man. This culture of rape apologism is frankly ridiculous, and only makes the plight of the victims even worse. 1 in 3 women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, a shocking statistic which brings to light how relevant this debate truly is. Women should not be shamed into hiding the truth, and making them feel that they are anything but a victim only means that fewer rapes are reported.
Exeter’s Reclaim the Night took place on Friday the 8th of March, which was also International Women’s Day. The event began at 6pm with speakers – Suaad from Devon United Women and Dr Sarah Cooper, a lecturer and specialist in women’s rights at the University and continued with the march and then a moment of silence, food and discussion at the Sidwell Centre.
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Kitty Gardner, president of Exeter’s Gender Equality Society says: “Reclaim the Night is a really important event for raising awareness about sexual violence against women and about demanding justice for rape victims. It is about thinking about the way women feel walking home after a night out for example, which is particularly prevalent in Exeter as a university city. It is this ‘ideology of rape’ which protrudes through society and needs to be addressed – the fact policemen can tell women not to dress like a ‘slut’ to avoid rape or councils can suggest women shouldn’t drink to avoid rape or shouldn’t go out after dark or walk particular ways home – when the issue should not be telling women ‘no’ but telling men ‘no’ to rape. 95% of women don’t feel safe on the streets at night – we need to reclaim the night in Exeter and worldwide. We’re hoping to raise awareness and change a mindset.”
It is absurd to even suggest that any part of sexual assault could be the fault of the woman. The definition of rape is sex without consent. There is no leeway. There is no room for “she led him on” or “she was drunk”. Even a situation in which a woman initially consents and then withdraws her consent, it is rape. When we tell women to take precautions we should really be telling men not to rape. This way of thinking is insulting not only to women, but to men as well – as if they are such ‘animalistic brutes’ that a short skirt or a drunk girl at a party will turn them into rapists, rather than a rapist being someone who does not need the sight of skin to commit such a heinous crime. Rape is an act of violence, not of lust, and women of all ages are victims.
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Reclaim the Night is especially relevant in Exeter following the Save Our Streetlights campaign in which the Guild attempted to fight the council’s plan to switch off streetlights in Exeter at peak times for students to be out and about after a night out. As quoted on Reclaim the Night’s website, More magazine did a survey on women’s opinions of their safety and found that 65% of women don’t even feel entirely safe on the streets during the day. Just bringing up the topic with fellow students makes it clear that this is not an isolated statistic, as all the girls I have spoken to reinforce the idea that they do not feel entirely safe on the streets at night, and happily discuss their tips for protecting themselves while out alone, which HCX will be writing an article on in the near future. While these tips are always useful, the fact that they are necessary shows how important events such as Reclaim the Night are.
Photo sources: Exeter-gender-equality.blogspot.com, brightonsource.co.uk
Sources: reclaimthenight.org, Exeter University Gender Equality Society