Take Back the Night in Waterloo Region

Take Back the Night, an annual event to call for action against gender-based violence, is back in Waterloo Region for 2021! Hosted by the Sexual Assault Support Centre in partnership with local agencies including Shelter Movers, the event is an opportunity to celebrate women’s solidarity and generate action for change. Community organizations will also have booths set up during the event, where participants can learn about the different services available to them in Waterloo Region.

Originally beginning as a way to protest the violence women experienced when walking in public at night, the marches provided a platform for women to speak out against violence, raise awareness of their experiences, and seek preventive change. Take Back the Night has now grown as a movement that encompasses all forms of violence. In Waterloo Region, 14 women experience some form of sexual assault every single day. Take Back the Night is an important event for the women in our community to rally together and demand change.

While the event is open to all genders, the march is currently for women, transfolk, and children. It is meant to represent the fact that women should not need any escorts in order to safely walk by themselves in public without fear of sexual or physical violence.   Men are asked to show their support by standing alongside the route and shout words of support for those marching, while joining for the opening speeches and post-march refreshments.