Reclaim the Night

On Thursday night students from all over Manchester, as well as families with children, took part in a peaceful protest march to "reclaim the night" from sexual assaults and attacks. This academic year (so far) there has been a 100% increase in reported rapes by students compared to last year. This is disgusting. Only the other day the same man sexually assaulted 2 girls on Wilmslow Road and has not yet been caught by the police. For those of you who don't know, Wilmslow Road is the main road that runs through Fallowfield, the area in which the majority of Manchester (UoM & Man Met) students live. It's well lit and always busy, you just don't expect it to happen there.

We want to reclaim the night.

I was terrified of Manchester before moving here, it wasn't my first choice of uni (the much safer Exeter was) and all I knew about Manchester was what I had heard in the news. One of the first things I was told when I visited the uni at the tender age of 17 was that there had been four rapes between Fresher's week (mid September) and my visit in mid October. That helped me decide that Manchester was definitely not the place for me and there was no where in Hell that I was going there. Well we all know how that turned out... Upon moving here I realised it's actually an amazing place to live, there's so much to do and the majority of people are just as keen to have a good time as you are. However, the incredibly high number rapes and sexual assault constantly hangs over our heads, it really tarnishes the reputation of the Unis as well as the city, and it instilled a fear in me that I'd never felt before.

People mock me when I say Windsor has a mafia, that's how safe it (usually) is. I don't feel comfortable walking on my own at night, but nor do I feel scared. Manchester is a whole different question. Even since Uber have risen the minimum price of journeys to £5.80 (thanks for that...) I would still rather take a taxi than walk the short 5 minutes from Robin's house to mine if it's night time. In my second year someone tried to push me into their car (during day time!) and I have been on the receiving end of many horrendous remarks, which if I were to repeat, would make you lose faith in humanity. All of my female friends have also been on the receiving end of sexual harassment, and even some of my male friends have been subjected to sexual assault.

This. Has. To. Stop.

I am tired of being terrified that someone is going to grab me on my way home from Sainsbury's. I am tired of feeling like I have to clutch my rape alarm in one hand and my keys in the other in case I'm attacked. And I am tired of feeling like any abuse I receive is my fault. Because it is NOT.

Why are female rape victims asked what they wore on the night they were raped, whilst male victims are not? A DRESS IS NOT A YES!

Why are female rape victims asked how much they had to drink, whilst male victims are not? BEING DRUNK IS NOT A YES!

And why, for the love of God, are cuts being made to rape crisis centers?! Victims of rape and sexual assault are often emotionally vulnerable people who NEED help. Even if others can't see the struggle, it is there, and these people need help from professionals. Help which will no longer be available to a huge number of them if cuts keep being made. 

We marched to protest against these cuts, as well as to make a point that our voices WILL be heard. We marched down Oxford road, from Fallowfield to our Student Union, making as much noise as we could, and chanting chants such as "whose streets?! OUR STREETS!" The march was not exclusively for women, and it was great to see a huge number of men turn up in support. We want safe streets for EVERYONE, regardless of age or gender. A large portion of the march was through an area called the Curry Mile. The Curry Mile is potentially the most dreaded stretch of road between uni and Fallowfield for girls. The men leer and make unwanted remarks, making kissing noises which make me want to retch and calling us unwarranted names. A large number of men on the Curry Mile got their phones out and video'd us marching. I just hope these videos get passed on to those creeps who make us feel uncomfortable there.

With over 2000 people in attendance, I really hope our voices will still be remembered in the future, and not only on the night. I hope that in the future, whether it is next week, next year or in 4 years, girls do not face the same amount of harassment we did here and can really make the most of their time as a student without fearing for their safety.

M x

(Here is the link to the Tab's article about the march http://manchester.tab.co.uk/2015/02/28/we-marched-in-reclaim-the-night-to-protest-the-recent-fallowfield-attacks/ )