Lancaster march to demand safe streets for women
Lancaster women are invited to Reclaim the Streets at a march on December 7.
Women will be gathering at Lancaster Town Hall steps at 6.30pm to march at 7pm.
The march has been called to coincide with the United Nation’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence.
A spokesman for Reclaim the Streets said: “Violence against women is endemic in society and Reclaim the Streets is an invitation to all women and their allies to raise their voices and say they deserve to feel safe in our streets, and in their homes and workplaces.
“The figures are stark, violence against women and girls is not decreasing, and the majority of the suffering is caused by a partner, ex-partner or family member.
“Globally, every 11 minutes a woman is deliberately killed by a partner or family member, and one in three women in England and Wales experience violence in their lifetime.
“Street harassment and violence against women and girls is endemic in the UK: 80% of women of all ages have been sexually harassed in public, with 90% of these women not reporting it as they don’t believe it will make a difference.
“Half of all women are sexually harassed in the workplace.”
In the run up to the march, Councillor Jean Parr brought a motion to Lancaster City Council on November 13 calling for greater action against violence against women and girls, which was passed unanimously.
Council officers are planning to roll out Ask for Angela training for licensed premises in the district, where a woman who is being made to feel uncomfortable by a man can ask a staff member for ‘Angela’ to raise the alarm.
The council is also White Ribbon accredited – this is a scheme raising awareness among men on what they can do to end male violence and misogyny.
The theme for this year’s UN 16 Days of Activism is #noexcuses.
Attendees to the Reclaim the Streets march are invited to wear orange (if they have anything orange) – the colour of the 16 Days of Activism.
Reclaim the Streets (RTS) began as creative activist group in London, but its tactics, blending party and protest, have spread around the world.