Reclaiming The Light

By Lizzie Dearden

In November 1977 the Yorkshire Ripper was still at large, having already killed six women in the Leeds area. Because his first victims were prostitutes, the public saw no reason to be alarmed. After the murder of Jayne MacDonald, a student, the public perception changed, however, to realise that ‘normal women’ were at risk. In response, the West Yorkshire Police service instructed all women in the north to stay inside after dark to avoid being attacked. The advice was well-intentioned, but when the murderer had been claiming victims for two years without capture, placing women under curfew did not seem to be a solution.

Sexual abuse was at a high across Europe and in the UK, where violence towards women, especially in marriage, was rarely reported or convicted. The second wave of feminism was in full swing and women’s groups were ready to take action. The tendency during the Ripper murders of making victims responsible for not getting attacked was seen as a public manifestation of attitudes towards abuse in general. Earlier that year, women in West Germany had held marches called ‘Take back the night’ against sexual abuse and rape. This was the inspiration for the Leeds Revolutionary Feminist Group’s creation of ‘Reclaim the night’; a women-only march against rape, violence against women and the fear of being outside after dark.

The first march on 12th November 1977 involved twelve cities, including Leeds, York and London. Groups concentrated on reversing the blame that was being placed on women for sexual assault, and to show that the only perpetrators of male sexual violence were men themselves. One placard read ‘No curfew on women – curfew on men.’ The next year, the number of participants at the marches grew into the thousands, and Reclaim The Night was fixed as an annual event. Apart from a brief period in the nineties and early noughties, when the event fizzled out, Reclaim The Night has taken place every year since. Similar events are held across the world, including the USA, Australia and India. In most cities, it falls around International Day to End Violence Against Women which is held on November 25th.

Over the years, however, the focus of marches has changed. The event’s cause is open to interpretation from organisers and marches vary greatly in different cities. Demonstrations have concentrated on issues such as violence, sexualisation, inequality, pornography and sex trafficking. In the largest marches, like the one in London, there are separate sections of the march devoted to separate issues.

This Tuesday, York is having its own Reclaim the Night for a very specific cause. The YUSU Women’s’ Committee has organised ‘Reclaim The Night York: We’re fighting for better lighting,’ to raise awareness of the dangerous and dimly-lit areas around campus. The organisers believe that most attacks in York occur in inadequately lit areas, and that with better lighting the likelihood of being attacked will decrease. The march is accompanied by a petition to the University and City Council, asking them to commit to improving lighting in areas of concern. The march is open to all genders and the route will include areas where students feel unsafe, such as the aptly nick-named ‘rape alley’.

Charlotte Phillips, YUSU Women’s Officer and one of the organisers of the event, explained why the event is needed: “Reclaim the Night is an important opportunity for York students to illustrate to the University the demand for a campus that all students can feel safe in at all times. The University campus should be an accessible environment to all, free from the fear of attack.” Concerns over inadequate lighting and safety have been raised many times before, but disputes over the ownership of some areas in question have prevented any improvement. Last November, the pleas to improve the lighting of the alley between Wentworth and Heslington Road were dismissed by the University because they do not own the land. YUSU Press Officer David Garner said that the University ‘cannot be held accountable.’ The event organisers hope that the march and petition will pressure the University into changing their stance and work with the Council to take action.

In the past, the University has responded to incidents of assault and the worries expressed by students by advising people to avoid poorly lit areas. Over thirty years after the Yorkshire Ripper murders, the advice being handed out to victims of assault seems much the same. The recent murder of Joanna Yeates prompted the Avon and Somerset Constabulary to issue advice to women telling them to avoid going out after dark. Almost identically to the West Yorkshire Police in 1977, the police placed the burden of women’s safety on women themselves. An article in the Bristol Post highlighted the unfeasibility of this advice: “At this time of year this would presumably mean that women could only go out alone between the hours of about 8.30am and 4.30pm. This is simply impossible.”

The thinking behind these statements from police and the University is a concern of Reclaim The Night in York. The event organisers believe that telling people to avoid certain routes at night is impractical and unfairly puts the responsibility of avoiding attack onto victims. And this is not a women’s issue: the majority of attack victims in public places are now men. Charlotte explained: “Reclaim the Night represents a unified defiance of the expectation that those vulnerable to attack should avoid being on the streets at night. This expectation is projected in the University’s advice to students to avoid poorly-lit areas, such as Retreat Lane, after dark. It is not the responsibility of a potential victim to avoid attack at night.”