Reclaim the Night Sydney released the statement below on October 24.
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Reclaim The Night, an annual worldwide campaign against all forms of violence against women, will hold its annual march this Sunday October 28 at Hyde Park at 7pm.
“In the wake of the Jill Meagher case, it is more important than ever that we highlight the effect violence against women has on our community,” Reclaim the Night spokeswoman Annabel Osborn said.
Speakers at the rally this year include:
• NajeebaWazefadost, Afghan refugee, President of Hazara Women Australia and recipient of the 2011 Young Woman of the West Award, on street harassment,
• Lani Brennan, Indigenous advocate for domestic violence survivors, on women’s rights at home,
• Sixteen year old Lily Edelstein, on online gender-based harassment.
The NSW Rape Crisis Centre reports that one in five women in Australia will experience sexual assault in their lifetime. During their lives, one in three women will experience assault.
And women experience harassment every day in both casual and formal settings: on the street and in workplaces. Online, women receive 25 times as much abuse as men.
“Women have the right to live free of fear, free from all forms of physical, psychological and emotional abuse,” says Kate O’Brien, another member of the organising group.
The Melbourne Reclaim the Night march held last week attracted thousands.
For the first time, there is a family friendly picnic for everyone before the march in Hyde Park which starts at 4pm.
Reclaim the Night’s aim is to:
STOP harassment on the streets
STOP online harassment
STOP domestic violence
[For more information please visit http://reclaimsydney.wordpress.com/ or phone Kate O’Brien 0410 706 904 or Annabel Osborn, 0431 841 846.]