Reclaim The Night march- overview

Reclaim the Night March- 8^th March 2019 (International Women’s Day)

Last Friday, amazing women (and men) gathered around Victoria Square, undeterred by the spitting rain. After weeks of drumming up social media support, spreading the word across campus and arranging guest speakers, the moment had finally arrived to march in recognition of the pandemic of sexual violence faced by women. Holding placards spelling out messages of female solidarity, many of them homemade and personalized, we stood as UoB’s Women’s Officers Alif Trevathan and Holly Battrick took to a modest stage to introduce the march. It was evident how much time and effort they had put into organising this event- the very first Reclaim the Night march to be conducted by UoB- and their subsequent joy at the impressive 400+  turnout.

The first speaker to be invited onto the stage was Lisa Thompson, CEO of RSVP, (the Rape and Sexual Violence Project.) Lisa’s speech revealed some shocking statistics, such as the fact that Birmingham has the highest level of interpersonal sexual violence across the West Midlands. With such a high demand for services and not enough staff or funding, victims of sexual abuse are currently facing up to a 14 month wait for RSVP support. The lack of priority given to organizations such as these is also fueled by the negative stigma around sexual assault, for example Lisa disclosed that 25% of society think that women often lie about being raped. ‘We are fed up, we are angry, but we are united’, she projected to the crowd of students and members of the public. Expressing her gratitude towards UoB for leading the march, she ended by urging students to support RSVP in any way, whether this be through fundraising or volunteering.

Secondly, Aisha Ali-Khan was welcomed onto the stage- an activist, teacher and one of the organisers of the London women’s march.  Aisha unhappily explained that the more people talk about women’s rights, the more they face barriers and opposition, but added that we have a responsibility as the next generation to continue this fight. Delving into the legal side of sexual abuse, she revealed that between 2017and 2019 there have been over half a million prosecuted cases involving sexual assault, amounting to an average of roughly 1 in 5 women facing this trauma. Disclosing her own experience as a victim, including being arrested and even jailed by her own attacker, Aisha explained that the prosecution system is heavily biased against women, particularly Muslim women and women of colour. The system is geared in order to stop victims from coming forward in the first place, leading to countless unreported cases. For Aisha, this march was about working to enable a safe space for female victims of sexual violence to feel comforted, validated and supported.

Following on from the speeches, the march began, stretching past the library, all the way down Broad Street, before looping around at the underpass and returning along the same route. Helpful volunteers in high-vis jackets helped us along the way, guiding as across roads whilst simultaneously encouraging energy levels. As we marched, crowds of people huddled around restaurant and shop windows, many of them coming out onto the street to watch. Almost everybody we passed stopped to film or take pictures, with many showing their support through cheering, and even a few cars and buses honking along with the chants. Amongst so much appreciation, there were sadly a few perturbed faces and a few snide comments here and there. But this only served to remind us about what we were marching for, and overall, the streets of Birmingham greeted us with open arms.

By the time we had returned to Victoria Square, the atmosphere was electric. Even in such a short space of time we already felt as if we had made a big difference, and reclaimed the night not only for ourselves, but for any one passing through Birmingham that night who needed to hear our important message. Alif and Holly returned to the stage to thank everyone for their participation, passionately exclaiming on behalf of all sexual abuse survivors that ‘we hear you, we believe you, we are seen.’ This march established a legacy to be continued by future students, to continue fundraising, protesting and generally raising awareness about violence against women. It was an empowering evening that would not have been possible without the amazing hard work of our women’s officers, volunteers, speakers, participators and everybody else who got involved with the evening. With any luck, next year’s International Women’s Day will see even more marchers, and more people unafraid to take a stand against abuse.