Rally held to raise awareness about sexual harrasment

by Clara Musca

The annual Take Back The Night rally and march took place Sept 28 in downtown Windsor to raise awareness about sexual harassment, and domestic violence.

The event was held in Dieppe Gardens and attracted hundreds of women, men and children. The organizers of the event showcased different t-shirts with anti-harassment messages painted on them.

People gathered in a circle and held lit candles as various people took turns at the microphone sharing their personal struggles with patriarchy and victimization.

Christine Lucier, who has been a police officer for 23 years, spoke about the obstacles and criticism she faced when people questioned her career choice.

“Women working in a man’s profession is always going to be a conflict.” said Lucier. “Unless people change the way they think, it’s not going to change.”

She also spoke about the importance of being a confident role model for her daughter and teaching young girls the importance of self-respect and self-love.

“I wish that all victims could find their voice, stand up and speak out against their pain, and stop making it okay for someone or someplace to put you down, hold you back, or stop you from becoming what you want or deserve in life” said Lucier.

Skyler Fantin attended the event in support of her friends.

“I’m here because I have a few friends that are survivors, and I believe that no matter what your gender is, there should be no violence against you. Everybody deserves to be treated equally, no one deserves to be hurt in any way by any other person,” said Fantin.

After the speeches, people walked down Oullette Avenue, chanting positive slogans promoting self-confidence.

LeChet Holland participated in the event to raise awareness about domestic violence.

“It affects everyone, no matter where you’re from. I think the goal is to raise awareness of the amount of violence within our own community that we may disregard at times.” said Holland.

Victim-blaming is something many women are familiar with as today’s culture tends to focus on placing blame on the victim instead of the perpetrator. Take Back The Night tries to raise awareness about cat-calling and other attacks that women experience almost every night walking on the street.

Lucier’s final words were uplifting.

“If we stand together, the same people, with the same purpose, we can grow into a living breathing thing: one voice.”