Reclaim the Night rallies in Fremantle and Perth

Reclaim the Night marches will take place in Fremantle and Perth on Friday (25 October).

The Fremantle march begins at 6:30pm at Kings Square in Fremantle.

The Perth march begins at 6pm at the Perth Cultural Centre in Northbridge.

The statement by the Fremantle Reclaim the Night collective is below:

Stop violence Against Women
Every woman has the right to freedom from violence. As women, we demand the right to be safe everywhere. In our homes, in the streets, out with friends and by ourselves, physical, sexual, emotional and economic abuse is not okay. We have the right to be able to live without having to constantly think of our safety. There should be nowhere that is deemed unsafe. We are rallying to reclaim the night, the day, the streets, the home, our places of work, study, worship and recreation and to demand the changes needed to make this a reality.

Consent Education
All women need to be respected sexually. We need comprehensive education programs for high-school students about healthy, safe and consensual sex, as well as sex and gender diversity. Everyone needs to understand the importance of active consent in sexual interactions (as opposed to silence, or resignation in the face of unwanted sexual activity).

Economic Security
Underpinning violence against women are sexist assumptions that are fostered by the inequality women experience. While education and adequate funding for support services for women experiencing assault are essential, tackling violence against women also requires changing the conditions that support sexist ideas, along with ensuring women have the economic security necessary to avoid or leave financial dependence on abusive partners. We demand reversing the cuts to single parents payments that has placed sole parents (mostly women) and their families below the poverty line; increasing funding for public housing, refuges and sexual assault support services; and equal pay for equal work.

Decriminalising Sex Work
Criminalisation of sex work is an obstacle to sex workers achieving safety from violence. Police with the role of regulating the sex industry are more likely to perpetrate assault, and sex workers may be reluctant to report assault because of concerns about not being taken seriously or being charged with prostitution offences. We support the campaign to decriminalise sex work. We call for an end to violence against sex workers.

Transgender Struggles
We demand full recognition of transgender women as women. There are a diverse range of gender identities and expressions. Trans* women and their specific concerns are an essential component of the movement to end violence against all women. We demand the acceptance of transgender women into women’s refuges. In addition to the violence women face generally, trans women also face transphobic violence and discrimination. They should not be turfed out onto the street on top of that.

Refugees
The policy of mandatory detention and offshore processing harms refugee women emotionally, mentally and physically; many of these women experience gender based emotional and mental violence.

The Involvement of Men
RtN is an event organised for women and by women, however, we encourage men who support our demands for ending violence against women to attend.

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Green Left TV video from last year's Reclaim the Night march in Fremantle