Take Back the Night, a powerful evening of solidarity, awareness and action against gender based violence will take place in Parry Sound on Oct. 3.
The event will be hosted by the District of Parry Sound Violence Against Women Coordinating Committee, in partnership with local health, justice and social service organizations.
Officials say the gathering and march will bring together survivors, allies, and community members to shine a light on the realities of gender based violence and intimate partner violence, and to demand a safer future for all.
According to Statistics Canada, more than four in 10 women in Canada have experienced some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime. Over six in ten Indigenous women have been physically or sexually assaulted since the age of 15, compared with just over four in ten non-Indigenous women.
The vast majority of gender-based violence in Canada is not reported to the police, according to Stats Can. Only 6% of sexual assault incidents were reported to the police, and 80 percent of people who had experienced gender-based violence did not report it to the police.
Parry Sound’s Take Back the Night will begin at 6 p.m. in Market Square Park, and will be followed by a march through town.
