Take Back The Night returns to Windsor to raise awareness and to fight for change regarding sexual, intimate partner and domestic violence.
The Violence Against Women Coordinating Committee Windsor Essex alongside the Hiatus House, host the event annually and this year the event runs on September 15.
This year's theme is 'Reclamation' and focuses on how women and those within marginalized communities need to be able to reclaim their right to safety and be able to live in a world free of sexual, intimate partner, and domestic violence.
VAWCCWE has been working extremely hard in 2023 to bring more awareness around these issues, and have gotten all local municipalities to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic.
Erika Broadbent, Manager of Clinical Services at Hiatus House and coordinator of the event, says the event in Windsor has been ongoing since 1985.
"We gather together, we do a rally, we have different speakers, and then we engage everybody in a march where we talk about reclaiming our right to safety in the streets, reclaiming our right to safety from sexual violence. So, it's been going since 1985, and we are excited to be able to continue going, but our hope is that one day we don't have to continue doing this because everyone has the immediate right to safety."
She says there has been a huge shift since VAWCCWE has gotten local municipalities to declare IPV an epidemic.
"We've pushed so hard for this to be recognized for what it is. Intimate partner violence, sexual violence, domestic violence has always been something that people want to keep silence, it's something you should deal with at home, but that's not the case. We need to shatter that silence, and that's been the ongoing theme since 1970 for Take Back The Night, is to shatter the silence and stop the violence.")
Broadbent says while the event can be very overwhelming, it is a safe space for everyone.
"This year we're actually going to be wrapping Charles Clark Square with different community partners, so everyone will have their own little booth set up, so that the community can really see that there's tons of people here to support, who do believe you, who do believe what you're saying and what you've experienced. We want people to know that there's those community partners and agencies who really want to be there as a support."
The event begins at 7 p.m. on September 15 at Charles Clark Square.
Broadbent says Hiatus House will also be hosting an educational workshop on September 11 at 7 p.m. in the Oak Room in Vanier Hall at the University of Windsor to bring community members together to create posters and friendship bracelets in preparation of the march.
Take Back The Night is the oldest worldwide movement to raise awareness and to fight for change regarding sexual, intimate partner and domestic violence.