Worldwide, one in every three women will experience physical and sexual violence at least once in her lifetime. Headlines regularly feature kidnapped girls, long-term sexual abuse and even brutal gang rapes.
In Scotland over 7,000 sexual crimes were recorded in 2012. The actual number is estimated to be much higher.
While in recent years the topic has become more widely discussed in the media and online platforms such as Everyday Sexism have heightened the awareness for street harassment, some things have yet to change. Victims, for instance, are still indirectly blamed for the sexual offence they endured through questions such as ‘What was she wearing?’, ‘Had she been drinking?’ or ‘Why was she walking around alone at night?’ .
Reclaim The Night, a yearly march in which women take back the public space they deserve just as much as the male population, is trying to speak out about this. It began in the UK in the 70s to demand the right for women to finally be able to walk alone at night without fear. It was a way of showing solidarity with the victims of sexual abuse and made a statement that women are never to blame – regardless of where, how and with whom they were interacting.
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This year, Rape Crisis Scotland is urging Glaswegians to take to the streets on November 27 for their annual march and the concluding rally. This way, they plan to raise awareness about gender-based violence and the low conviction rate – only one in four reported rapes are prosecuted in Scotland. Most importantly though, it demands for this to stop.
We have been focussing too much on labelling. Everyone should have the right to feel safe at night. And while women may be in more imminent danger, many males do not feel secure in that situation either.
So, Glasgow, whether a feminist, a humanist or just a concerned citizen – let’s reclaim the night.
