Raising Awareness About Sexual Violence

Thursday, 19 September 2019 at 07:57

Photo credit: Organizing committee member, Giselle Lutfallah (Submitted)

The Oxford Regional Labour Council is organizing Take Back The Night downtown. Tonight's march will be at Museum Square to raise awareness on sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence.

WOODSTOCK - Take Back The Night will be happening tonight at Museum Square.

Tonight's march will be at Museum Square to raise awareness on sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence.

Giselle Lutfallah is a member of the organizing committee and she says it is for everyone, not just women.

"Our goal is to raise awareness and to think of the women and honour the women who have been victims by violence, or who have been touched by violence. We want to protest against violence and acknowledge women's fears in walking the streets alone and we want to take back the night, we want to support one another to create a safe community."

The event rotates throughout the region every year and this is the first time it will be in the Friendly City since 2016. It has been held in Oxford County on the third Thursday since the mid 1980's.

She adds they tend to have a larger turnout in Woodstock and they're looking forward to having everyone's commitment at the event.

In addition to a march, Lutfallah says there will be other things going on throughout the event.

"We'll have some display that illustrate people's commitment to ending violence, we'll have a visual for people who have been the victim of violence or who have been touched by violence. We'll have a speaker who has had the courage to come back from a violent experience and everyone really comes together as a larger group and really works together towards change."

Since hosting the event three years ago, Lutfallah adds this is still an issue within the community and they need to always keep that in the forefront, acknowledging that forms of sexual violence and sexual abuse are not okay.

She says the route will go down Dundas Street before going up Wellington Street and behind Peel Street, returning back to Museum Square.

The event gets underway at 7:00 pm and it will end by 9:00 pm.

(Photos Submitted)