Women’s safety march held 47 years after inaugural event

A “Reclaim the Night” demonstration took place, aiming to empower women and girls to advocate for increased safety in public areas as daylight hours diminish. Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire, participated alongside Al Garthwaite, who served as the Lord Mayor of Leeds last year and was instrumental in the initial demonstrations in 1977. In Huddersfield’s Greenhead Park, Alison Lowe, the deputy mayor for policing and crime, and over 200 attendees joined them. Ms. Garthwaite expressed her hope for a future where “women feel safe to walk out in a public place at night,” yet noted the continued necessity for such marches nearly five decades subsequent to their origin. She stated: “There’s absolutely value, there’s real need for it. They’re empowering, they’re really important, they have changed.“Now we want male allies and we want men to challenge other men.“For bad people to win it takes good people to stay silent.” Recalling the inception of the Reclaim the Night movement, she mentioned that “we were greeted with incomprehension”. She commented: “At that time, and I fear still sometimes today, if a woman was out on her own and something bad happened the questions would be: why was she out at that time, wearing what she was wearing, in that place, without a man? She must be asking for it.“As for the thought of a mayor being interested, they wouldn’t have come within 100 miles of it.“We can’t rest on our laurels, but if you keep protesting against oppression you feel better and in the end you do make change.” Rebecca Kane, representing New Directions Services, managed a booth at the gathering and elaborated on how her organization provides vulnerable women with chances to learn martial arts. This organization provides a secure environment for individuals who have experienced domestic abuse, alongside young people and vulnerable women, to engage in fitness activities, martial arts, and Irish dance. She remarked: “It’s not just about helping people to rebuild their lives but giving vulnerable people a voice.” Charys, who participated in the demonstration, stated her reason for joining was her weariness of constantly being concerned while navigating dimly lit streets. She declared: “I’m sick of having to look over my shoulder every time I’m walking along, and never being able to listen to my music at full volume just because I’m afraid of who’s around me.” Helen, another participant from Huddersfield, mentioned she joined the march to demonstrate to her daughter, who is named after Emmeline Pankhurst, the significance of advocating for one’s convictions. She articulated: “It’s very important that we’re here to show our support and stand up for the safety of women and girls and show her at a young age that you need to be active if you’ve got a cause and a reason.” Claire indicated she participated in the march because she believed it was crucial for men to comprehend the reality of women’s lives, which often involves needing to “watch out for themselves”. She commented: “I always have to look over my shoulder, make sure there are no men behind me even though they might be quite innocuous.“The more people get together we can hopefully change the world so that women can go out at night.” Information regarding West Yorkshire highlights is available on BBC Sounds, and the most recent episode of Look North can be accessed. The BBC holds the copyright for 2024 and is not liable for the content of external websites, with its approach to external linking detailed separately.