On Saturday 1st March 2014 over 100 women took part in the first Reclaim the Night march in Coventry City centre for 30 years. The event was timed to coincide with International Women’s Week, an annual event, which takes plan on 8th March each year.
The march began at 6pm opposite the Council House. The women then walked in peaceful protest through the city centre ending at Coventry Cathedral.
The Reclaim the Night march was organised by a group of women’s organisations, student groups and trade unionists and was an opportunity to provide self-defining women with a voice and a chance to breakdown the fear women can feel in public places at night; and to demonstrate that women united can resist fear and violence.
The march followed a survey in Coventry last year which showed that nearly half of women don’t feel safe on the streets of Coventry and 61% of women had experienced harassment in the last year
Other research has shown that in Coventry over 30,000 women have been raped or sexually abused in their lifetime; with approximately 2600 being raped or sexually abused every year.
Speeches from some of the women that took part can be viewed here and here.
Coventry Women's Voices 