‘Take Back the Night’ aims to raise awareness of ending gender-based violence
Posted Sep 21, 2023 06:19:43 AM.
Last Updated Sep 21, 2023 11:47:44 AM.
The Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region (SASCWR) will be hosting a march to ‘Take Back the Night’.
The event is aimed at raising awareness to end gender-based violence.
SASCWR is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the event this year. It’s being held at the Gaukel Block in downtown Kitchener.
Organizers have a schedule of events planned before the march takes place including speeches, performances and a bystander intervention workshop being held at Gaukel Block for those who are not participating in the march.
The route will begin at Gaukel Block and end at Kitchener City Hall for chanting before returning to Gaukel Block.
Both regional council and Woolwich council have declared intimate partner violence (IPV) an epidemic over the past month. This comes after both councils heard presentations from community organizations such as Women’s Crisis Services calling on councils to declare IPV an epidemic.
Waterloo Regional Police Service shared in those same presentations from 2012 to 2022, the service has reponded to more than 66,000 calls related to IPV or about 17 calls per day. During that same time frame, over 35,000 charges have been laid in cases involving IPV.
Take Back the Night takes place Thursday evening from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
