On November 20, the University of Lincoln’s student union hosted the annual Reclaim the Night march, with hundreds of students, staff and wider community members in Lincoln attending.
The event, which has been organised and hosted by the Student Union, was held to raise awareness about the safety of women, especially during nighttime.
But what does Reclaim the Night actually stand for?
Reclaim the Night has been a national movement for many years, and is used to organise rallies and protests, not just nationally, but worldwide.
The fundamental aim is to raise awareness about the issues of sexual harassment, violence, and misogyny towards women, advocating for safer streets, particularly after dark.
Before the crowd marched through the High Street, speeches were made from the presidents of both the women’s rugby society and the feminist’s society, as well as Thomas Woodcock, the Student Support and Development Officer.
Thomas said: “it may be over a 50-year-old protest demonstration, but I think it’s very clear that nighttime safety is still a massive issue.”
The original march took place in 1977 in Leeds, where 150 women took to the streets to the streets in reaction to the Yorkshire Ripper murders, with the city being a focal point for many of the fatal attacks.
And so, their anger was intensified by the police advising women to stay at home after dark, but not men, in which resulted in the march.
Following this, inspired by the ladies in Leeds, women in other cities also began to reclaim their streets, ultimately beginning the movement.
These protests in the UK continued into the 1980s and the early 90s, until they quietened down again until 2004, where thirty women marched through the streets of London, a year later, around a thousand attended.
Since then, marches have been occurring not only up and down the UK, but worldwide, with the movement being well-known as ‘Take Back the Night.’
“There’s so many people who don’t feel safe on the streets, and I think it’s really important that everyone feels safe on the streets at night, I think until we are in a world where everyone does feel safe, we need to keep marching, keep protesting and keep fighting for that better world,” Thomas added.
Other countries involved in this movement include USA, Australia, India, Japan, Germany, Slovenia and many others.
Despite how long the marches have been going on, the issues still hold relevance in today’s world.
Lincoln’s Student Union have been hosting this event since 2017, and Thomas believes marches like this, can spark discussion on the issues regarding safety at night.
“I think there’s so many people who’ve been talking about it for weeks now, and I really do think those conversations are happening, with help from both students, university staff and the wider public, that I do actually think, there is change happening.”
Despite the fact so many conversations are happening, it’s a reminder that the fight for safety at night is far from over.