GUELPH – Guelph’s annual Take Back the Night event is Sept. 18, from 6 to 7:30pm at Marianne’s Park (176 Gordon Street), hosted by Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis.
Take Back the Night is a global movement against sexual violence.
One night each year, hundreds of cities around the world take to the streets through marches, rallies and protests to make communities safer for women and gender-diverse people.
The theme for this year’s event is “Reimagine Justice.”
Fewer than six per cent of sexual assault survivors come forward and report to police and of those, only 7.3% of cases result in a guilty verdict for their assailant – fewer than in the early 2010s.
Rates of sexual and gender-based violence are the highest they’ve been in decades, but positive outcomes in the criminal legal system are actually becoming less and less likely, officials say.
They add that current systems routinely fail to hold assailants accountable and survivors of sexual violence who come forward commonly find themselves disbelieved, minimized, retraumatized and even ridiculed by the criminal legal system.
It’s time to imagine other paths to justice.
“Take Back the Night is not just a march – it is a declaration that justice is not confined to courtrooms,” Women in Crisis executive director Sly Castaldi stated in a press release.
“To reimagine justice is to demand a world where safety, dignity and freedom are not dreams deferred, but rights realized.”
There will be music, speakers, a rally and the annual march through downtown Guelph.
This year’s event will feature musical performances by local singer-songwriter CJ Cooper and OPIRG’s Sound of the Drum.
Special guest speaker is professor of Black Organizing and Resistance Dr. Marsha Hinds Myrie.
All are welcome and all are welcome to march. Everyone is encouraged to bring signs or messages of support for survivors.
The event will be livestreamed on Facebook and Instagram for those who can’t be there in person.
For more details, visit gwwomenincrisis.org/event/take-back-the-night-2025.
