Cambridge Gender Feature Archive
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Ipswich Reclaims the Night
Five sex workers from Ipswich have been murdered in ten days. The leader of the County Council, Jeremy Pembroke, has urged women not to go out alone. But as a response local people are organising a "Reclaim the Night" event to assert their freedom to go out at night (Press Release).
So on Friday the 29th of December, almost 300 people gathered outside Ipswich Town Hall, with candles on the steps. After two speakers there was a walk down to Handford Road (the red light district). In an adjacent park a minutes silence was observed and five white roses were laid in an adjacent park to commemorate those murdered. Chants ranged from "We're marching for the right, to walk alone at night" to "We don't need protection, we need a revolution".
More: Announcement of Reclaim the Night Ipswich | photos | more photos | blog report | EASF report
Herstory of Reclaim the Night | Reclaim the Night marches in 2006: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Reclaim the Night marches, 2005
Ipswich will Reclaim the Night
Update (27/12): Accommodation details added.
Update (26/12): Transport details added for Portsmouth and Scotland - see below.
Update (19/12): The organisers are calling for volunteers to help steward the event.
Five sex workers from Ipswich have been murdered in ten days. The leader of the County Council, Jeremy Pembroke, has urged women not to go out alone. But as a response local people are organising a "Reclaim the Night" event to assert their freedom to go out at night (Press Release). The event will take place on the 29th December, starting at 7pm outside Ipswich Town Hall. There will be a few speakers and then a walk to the "red light district". The organisers are inviting both women and men to join them in showing their "love and solidarity for the friends and families of the murdered women and all the people of Ipswich".
People are expected to come from all over the country to show their support. Transport is being organised from Birmingham, Cambridge, Portsmouth and Scotland.
Links: [ Announcement of Reclaim the Night Ipswich | Reclaim the Night marches, 2005 | Herstory of Reclaim the Night ]
Reclaim the Night marches in 2006: [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 ]
Violence Against Women
"Violence against women is the greatest human rights scandal of our time." Amnesty International
Amnesty International say that worldwide many women have been beaten, coerced into sex or abused in their lifetime. One type of violence against women is domestic violence, and despite the advances made by the women's movement, domestic violence is still a major problem in the UK. Although men can be victims 81% of attacks are commited by men against women. One quarter of all UK women are victims at some point in their lifetime. Sandra Horley, from Woman's Aid says that domestic violence, "...reaches every corner of our society. It does not respect class, race, religion, culture or wealth. A working class mother on a run-down estate is just as likely to be abused as a professional woman...". Liberal feminist Jackie Ashley points out that street crime, which makes the headlines far more often, makes up 2% of all reported crime, whereas domestic violence makes up 25%.
The event in the photo is part of the Global Women's Strike.
A report from the Pink Picnic
On Saturday 30 August, the grounds of Cherry Hinton Hall were transformed as people gathered to celebrate gay culture and diversity in the form of Cambridge’s first ever Pink Picnic. Pink Picnic was a free event “where everyone can enjoy [...] gay culture by removing barriers and stigmas to promote tolerance and understanding of peoples sexuality”. The Picnic was non-commercial and aimed to cover its costs. There were many sponsors including the trade union UNISON.