» By Chaseton Donahoe
Staff Writer

The Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance led a “Take Back the Night” march in protest of sexual and domestic violence Thursday night, April 25, in the UC Plaza. The march signifies a stance against forms of sexual abuse commonly associated with nighttime hours.

The Take Back the Night Foundation aims to “end sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual abuse and all other forms of sexual violence.” The march sought to raise awareness about what and how many violent acts are being committed in the communities.

“We’re out here tonight to educate people about violence against women,” said Desiree Sassel, sophomore English major. “Instead of teaching girls to stay out of dark areas, we should teach boys not to assault women.”

Members of the Feminists Majority Leadership Alliance pointed to statistics show that an estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year. Females between the ages of 20 and 40 are most likely victims of domestic violence. Almost a third of female homicide victims that are reported to police are killed by an intimate partner, and one out of six American women have been victims of attempted or completed rape in their lifetime, making up 17.7 million in total, according to representatives from the Feminists Majority Leadership Alliance.

“This is really just to raise awareness, and not just for violence against women. It’s very prevalent in our community, and maybe people who aren’t speaking out can see that we do know there is a problem,” Jordan Adams, a sophomore professional studies major and women and gender studies minor, said.

“It’s good for people to be aware that there’s still a lot of violence, and not only against women, but gays and transgenders too,” notes event organizer Ellen Garland, junior art major.

The Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance promotes “women’s equality, non-violence, economic development and, most importantly, empowerment of women and girls in all sectors of society.”

Oftentimes, people accept the inevitability of violent acts occurring, and simply discourage women and others from being out late at night. The Feminists Majority Leadership Alliance emphasizes that they refuse to accept this kind of problem as an inevitable pattern and the Take Back the Night event aims to raise awareness and take measures to make communities safe during all hours, day and night.