Annual Reclaim the Night rally to take to York Street next Friday demanding an end to domestic violence

Albany residents will take to York Street next week to “reclaim the night” and demand an end to violence against women and children. Reclaim the Night is an international event held annually on the last Friday in October and encourages all members of the community to take a stand against domestic violence. Organised in Albany by the Albany Family and Domestic Violence Action Group, the event will start at Alison Hartman Gardens with speeches and a music performance by local choir Playlist, before participants are led on a march along York Street. “The crowd takes to the street, we do a circuit to take back a bit of the space and to show that it’s important that people are able to feel safe on the streets and in our community,” AFDVAG member Joanna Fictoor said. The speeches will reflect this year’s themes, with Chloe Trend speaking about the importance of women and the wider community being safe on the streets, Anglicare representative Tiffany Davis on coercive control, and Albany MLA Rebecca Stephens on advances in women’s rights. A survivor will also read a poem written about her experience of surviving coercive control. Recently appointed acting AFDVAG chairman Murray Field said the event would highlight the importance of recognising the forms domestic and family violence can come in. Mr Field said he had seen different forms of family violence in his background of working for 23 years in financial counselling. “There are all forms of abuse — coercive behaviour, psychological, financial, and also elder abuse,” he said. “It comes in many guises. “Physical violence is one part of it, and it is the worst side of the violence we see, but then there are all of these other sections to it too.” Data from the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census found there were six times the number of female sexual assault victims as there were male victims. Every year AnglicareWA offers support services to more than 1000 families affected by family and domestic violence. All community members are encouraged to attend Reclaim the Night, including men, women and children. “Really, we need to do something about it as a society, we can’t continue to deny what’s going on,” Mr Field said. “And most of it’s been perpetrated by males and the male population need to be better educated, and that starts right down to the school level — respectful relationships are a really important issue.” Participants are asked to wear purple, the colour which represents domestic violence awareness, and bring along a light — but no open flames. The event will start at Alison Hartman Gardens at 6.30pm on October 28.