International movement works to eliminate abuse
Image courtesy of Google Images
By Janelle Thompson
Courtesy of The Women’s Center
The Take Back The Night international headquarters initiative was started by Katie Koestner in 1999 to bring awareness to the crimes that affect women in epic proportions. As an outspoken activist against date rape, Koestner decided that establishing a foundation against sexual violence and abuse would help to raise awareness and provide women with a voice and platform for expression. Take Back The Night events now take place all over the country and allow women to reclaim the feeling of safety that all individuals are entitled to. The Take Back The Night website (http://takebackthenight.org/) holds anonymous stories from women around the world who have had negative experiences with violence and assault.
The volume of global responses and survivor stories is shocking, but even more surprising were the similarities in the struggles of these women despite their locations, backgrounds, cultures and creeds. In order to combat the pervasive nature of assault and abuse, venues around the world are planning special Take Back The Night events that will raise awareness and catalyze positive international changes.
We will be hosting our own Take Back The Night Event at the College on April 24 in The Junction at 5:30 p.m. Event coordinators, sophomore Timna Gonzalez and junior Lukwesa Morin, are working extremely hard to organize this great event, and everyone should definitely come out and show their support.
By educating yourself on these current issues we can improve our community and make a lasting impression on those around us for a better future for us and generations to come. Students who attend this event can look forward to hearing about the progress that has been made since the first Take Back The Night Event of 1976, and all that we still have to accomplish. Learn ways that you can be an asset to your community and encourage others do the same. It is up to small groups to enact big change, so come be a part of something great! As the TBTN mission states: Shatter the Silence. Stop the Violence.
