TIMMINS -There was chanting, dancing and signs bearing messages as residents rallied to take back the night in Timmins..
Hosted by Timmins and Area Women in Crisis and ElleVive, the annual Take Back the Night walk saw dozens of people walking along Wilson Avenue and through downtown to raise awareness about sexual violence against women and 2SLGBTQIA+ members of the community.
Take Back the Night began in 1976 and hundreds of events are held worldwide every year.
“Sexual and physical violence against women and gender-diverse people exists in all communities,” said organizer Julie Nobert-Demarchi during the event. “It intersects with race, class, gender, and global positioning.”
The crowd held signs, chanted, and danced to music as they walked through the streets along Wilson Avenue.
The night’s rally highlighted the need for communities to come together in support of each other when facing violence, specifically the Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, who are impacted at a higher rate.
“As a woman, I know that there are certain things I don’t feel comfortable doing at night on my own, running, walking, taking transit and being out with friends and family,” said Natalie Austin, Timmins Pride co-ordinator. “As a queer woman, I don’t think I’ve ever felt comfortable holding hands with any of my partners in public, even in the daytime. Especially in the current climate, it just doesn’t feel safe.”
She said she has heard similar feelings from others in the city, as well.
The walk was accompanied by several members of the Timmins Police, including Chief Sydney Lecky.
“Any violence against women, we have to do our best to stand up and get the message out that it’s not acceptable,” he said.
The 2023 annual report from Timmins Police notes that sexual assault reports have gone down, with 94 reported incidents that year. In 2022, there were 126 reported sexual assault incidents.
In Canada, 78 per cent of reported intimate partner violence happens to women and girls.
On Oct. 23, 2023, the City of Timmins declared violence against women and intimate partner violence an epidemic in the city, but the province has not yet made a similar declaration.
Elle Vive executive director Chantal Mailloux said that change has to come on a cultural level to protect those who have faced violence and that it’s the responsibility of everyone to break the silence around these issues.
“Ending this violence is about changing our culture. It means eliminating the stigma associated with being a survivor and creating spaces where survivors can access the support they need,” she said.
