Take Back the Night march

Tonight I celebrated my tenth year participating in an amazing event called Take Back the Night. This is always one of the most empowering moments. I think tonight was the best one ever. The Toronto Rape Crisis Centre and Multicultural Womyn Against Rape organize this event every year. It started off with a community fair of various organizations and people enjoying free food. Then we moved outside for a wide range of guest speakers including artists, poets, self defense demonstrations and more. I think the location made it all the more moving for me. This year the march was in Malvern (the community where I group up). We gathered at the ‘rec’ and marched past the mall and my high school dancing and chanting! As usual I really enjoyed myself and was very moved by the fact that is event has ALL kinds of womyn – old, young, all races, sexuality, deaf, in wheelchairs… people taking the bus two hours with their kids just to come and participate. All of these womyn were there to stand united in a message to end violence against womyn. Stories were told of mothers being beaten by their spouse, children being raped, womyn being beat to death because of their sexual preference. The unifying theme behind these stories was the systematic patriarchy exemplified by men in violence against womyn.
The saddest part about these stores is that they no longer shock me. This is the norm of our world. Womyn being murdered by their partners, slaughtered and raped in wars and the victims of the largest trade in the world. I will spare you the statistics but the facts are clear. The other day I watched a dateline episode where they were setting up people who were interested in having sex with young girls. The focus of the interview was the fact that they were ‘nabbing these pedophiles’ and that we should be aware of the possibilities of the internet. I think the angle they took was irresponsible – it sensationalized the issue and festered more ‘fear mongering’. I am not suggesting the coverage was irrelevant just that I would have preferred more in depth analysis outlining the systemic problem of violence against womyn.

The facts are endless and the complexities of the issue too deep for a blog. More important than outlining any crisis of humanity is to suggest how to deal with it. Discussing the issue is meant to elevate the ignorance. Gaining knowledge of the facts allows us to address the circumstances. Raising this issue is not to deter you from living your best life. It’s to encourage those of us with the strength to fight! We must fight by not letting the bleakness of the situation sway us from our goals. Womyn must not live in fear but instead educate themselves on the facts and learn how to defend ourselves. The biggest killer of us all is apathy and we must stand united demanding an end to the needless pain and death. This end must start with each of us. Don’t ignore that violence exists and don’t be ashamed if you are or have dealt with it. Mobilize together as a society to make change for the better. I know I will never allow myself to be a victim again. Every year at least once a year I will Take Back The Night!