Alison Dellit

Women across Australia marched to end violence against women on October 29. While the size of the annual Reclaim the Night marches has declined in capital cities in recent years, the number of marches is increasing, with more women in regional centres organising to fight violence.

This year, marches were held in Albury-Wodonga, Bendigo, Bowen, Brisbane, Bundaberg, Cairns, Canberra, Coonabarabran, Darwin, Dubbo, Kempsey, Lismore, Newcastle, Parkes, Port Macquarie, Redlands, Richmond, Sydney, Taree, Tamworth, Toowoomba, Townsville, Tweed Heads and Warrnambool. Vigils, BBQs, film screenings and workshops were held in many other cities and towns.

The largest march was in Brisbane, where 4000 turned out to protest violence against women. In most of the regional centres, around 100-200 protesters attended and protest themes varied. In Townsville, 100 women marched to protest violence against women in war, which was also a focus in Lismore. In Newcastle, 150 women listened to speakers condemn violence against disabled women. In Dubbo, 100 protesters demanded an end to date rape and launched a new local website to raise awareness about that crime.

Activists report a high proportion of young women marching in Richmond, Bendigo and Dubbo.

In Sydney, 70 women marched. In Melbourne, no march was held but a handful of activists built a cardboard house in Federation Square, with “reclaim the house! End domestic violence!” written on the side.

From Green Left Weekly, November 3, 2004.
Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.

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