BY ROBYN MARSHALL
BRISBANE — Twenty-five years after Australians first marched against sexual violence, women and children again took to the streets on October 31 to Reclaim the Night, which is an international event held on the last Friday in October every year.
The largest of the Reclaim the Night events was in Brisbane, where despite a torrential rainstorm, 200 women marched across the Goodwill Bridge to the Queensland College of Art for a festival with music. The event was organised by the Reclaim the Night Collective with the support of the Brisbane Rape and Incest Crisis Centre.
Emma Murphy reports from Adelaide that 100 women gathered in Victoria Square, unfazed by inhospitable weather. They were addressed by Sherene Hassan from the Muslim Women's Association, who spoke about the increase in racial violence against Muslim women following the anti-Islamic hysteria in the wake of 9/11, and Karina Lester, speaking on behalf of the Kungka Tjuta women campaigning against the proposed nuclear dump in the north of South Australia.
Elspeth McInnes, from the Australian Council of Single Mothers and their Children, spoke about Howard government's proposed 50/50 custody legislation, which could mean that women feel forced to stay with abusive partners so as not to put their children's safety at risk. Amy McDonell, speaking for Books Not Bombs, urged those attending the rally to continue campaigning for social justice.
After the speakers, the women and their supporters marched to a street party in Hindley Street.
One-hundred women participated in the Reclaim the Night march in Sydney. "Each year women from all over NSW volunteer their time, energy and skills to keep alive the message that violence against women is not to be tolerated", NSW minister for women Sandra Nori said in a statement issued to mark the day. "Reclaim the Night is a positive way for women and children to express their right to love without the fear of violence and intimidation", Nori declared.
Keumala Mutia from Aceh addressed 80 women who rallied in Newcastle on the issue of sexual assault and rape being used as weapons against women by the Indonesian military. She urged those present to become active in the struggle for women's rights both in Aceh and elsewhere, stressing the importance of sharing information about her experiences as an activist for women in Aceh.
"Foreign journalists are banned from Aceh, so little or no information is getting out", Mutia said. "International solidarity is crucial for the situation for women to improve."
The Newcastle Reclaim the Night march called for an end to the war in Iraq through the withdrawal of foreign occupation troops; an end to the Howard government's attacks on the Family Court; abolition of mandatory detention of refugees and reversal of funding cuts to women's services.
Rallies were also held in Darwin, Geelong, Coffs Harbour, Wollongong, Newcastle, Taree, Albury-Wodonga and Katoomba.
From Green Left Weekly, November 5, 2003.
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