Annual Take Back the Night rally hopes to end violence against women

Jocelyn Pitcher, 27, has attended Take Back the Night committee meetings as the voice for Loyalist College’s Wellness team. Photo by Sarah Cooke, QNet News

By Sarah Cooke

BELLEVILLE – Taking part in the Take Back the Night march was one of the most empowering moments for Jocelyn Pitcher, a wellness ambassador at Loyalist, and she wants others to experience it, too.

Pitcher, 27,  a student in the Social Services Worker program, says she has survived multiple sexual assaults with varying levels of violence.

“It’s only been recently that I’ve been okay with saying that out in the open but Take Back the Night was one of the first events I attended that really empowered me to own that survivorship,” said Pitcher, who attended her first rally in Guelph in 2015.

“I have experienced things from a small leg touch under the table by a male supervisor; my hand being taken and guided into a guy’s pants; rape by a stranger; by two acquaintances the same night; and, most devastatingly, by a trusted friend of 10 years,” she said in an email to QNet News. “In the latter situation, I fought back as I was physically restrained to the point of bruising. And this list is not exhaustive. Sexual assault happens all the time and really I think every woman I have spoken to has experienced sexual violence or harassment in some way.”

This year’s Take Back the Night rally is set for Thursday at 6 p.m. in Market Square downtown.

The Sexual Assault Centre of Quinte is one of many local organizations involved in organizing the rally and for the first time, a student from Loyalist is on the organizing committee.

“It’s kinda of been a dream of mine to be a part of this kind of event,” Pitcher added. “It means a lot to me.”

The 27-year-old joined the committee after the Sexual Assault Centre of Quinte invited a Loyalist wellness ambassador to be sit on the march committee.

“I jumped at the opportunity,” said Pitcher.

Sexual violence rates are higher for women, according to statistics from JustFacts, a government of Canada research and statistics division. According to its statistics, women are victimized at a much higher rate – 37 out of 1,000 incidents – compared to 3 out of 1,000 incidents for men.

Pitcher told QNet News that she wants people to know that events such as Take Back the Night are a safe space and that male allies are invited to come.

But she added it’s important to note that while men are invited to the rally, the actual march is just for women and gender non-conforming people.

“The reason why male allies aren’t invited to take part in the actual march is because…by marching without men we’re kind of representing that part of wanting to be able to walk by ourselves at night.”

The first Take Back the Night march was organized in October 1975, after the death of microbiologist Susan Alexander Speeth who was stabbed by a stranger while walking alone at night just a block from her home.

In 1981, the Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres declared the third Friday of September for TBTN marches nationwide.

Many events take place around this time but are not limited to the specific date.

In March 2019, the Ontario government released the Student Voices on Sexual Violence which indicated that 63% of sexual assaults happen on campus.

When asked if she thought Loyalist College provided a safe space for survivors or those coming forward, Pitcher told QNet News that the wellness team was trying to make it a safer space.

“We engaged in the Draw the Line campaign, putting up posters that talk about consent in different situations and what you might do,” she said. “We’ve been promoting Take Back the Night on campus to hopefully provide resources that way for women or any gender who are reaching out.”