'Reclaim the night!'

Around the country on October 31, the annual Reclaim the Night (RTN) protests took place, demanding an end to violence against women. In Lismore, 200 women and children marched through the streets before rallying, along with male supporters, to hear activists and community leaders speak out
against violence.

In Sydney, the crowd at Town Hall was bolstered by a lively group of women from the Western suburbs, with the migrant community also being represented. The rally's theme was "End violence against women — stop the NT intervention!".

The 250-strong crowd heard from Indigenous woman Barbara Shaw, from Mt Nancy camp in the Northern Territory.

One hundred mainly young women marched through South Brisbane to a festival, while the 300-strong rally in Melbourne was also largely made up of young women. Gathering at the Victorian State Library on October 30, the crowd heard from Caroline Worth from the South-East Centre Against Sexual Assault.

Noting that it was 30 years since Melbourne's first RTN, Worth pointed out "there is still a need to make the streets safe for women".

From GLW issue 773