Annual event to protest violence against women

Courtesy of Alcy Barakat

Students from last year’s Take Back the Night event protest violence against women by coming together and holding signs. This year’s event is celebrating its 20th year of raising awareness in the Toledo area.

This year’s Take Back the Night, an event that addresses and protests all forms of violence against women, will take place Saturday, April 26, on Scott Park Campus.

Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the main programs will begin at 7 p.m.

TBTN is celebrating its 20th year of raising awareness in the Toledo area, and this event is part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which is sponsored by UT’s Sexual Assault Education and Prevention Program.

Alcy Barakat, a TBTN volunteer and graduate student in the Department of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, said that although hitting the 20-year benchmark for protesting violence against women is good, the fact that the problem still exists in Toledo is the reason why there is still a need for the event.

“We are celebrating 20 years of a collective of women fighting for the end of violence against women,” Barakat said. “This also means, however, that there is still a need for this event 20 years later, as domestic and sexual violence still plague our city.”

Barakat said that this year’s program focuses on a call to action for the city, to see “where we go from here in addressing this issue going forward.”

Displays during the event will include the Clothesline Project, where decorated shirts are hung for women affected by violence, serving as a testimony to the problem, as well as the Silent Witness Project, which is a global activist movement commemorating women whose lives were violently ended by a partner or acquaintance.

“This event is a safe and uplifting space for survivors of sexual assault and rape to come as they are, be accepted, heard, and to receive well over due validation of their journey to survive and thrive,” Barakat said.

Barakat considers this an “electric TBTN season,” as she said many organizing collective members have been doing this kind of work since the very first event as well as students and others who have been active members for years.

“It is a rewarding and humbling experience to be a part of this diverse collective of Toledo women,” Barakat said.

For those who need rides to Scott Park Campus, a free shuttle will leave the UT Transportation Center at 5:30 p.m. and will return to Main Campus at approximately 11 p.m. Free child care also will be provided at the event.

Barakat urges every UT student to check out this year’s TBTN because it is an issue that is important to respect due to the number of women whose lives have been impacted by violence.

“Whether you are a survivor, know someone who is, or just want to see what the event is about, I would encourage everyone to come,” Barakat said. “Like we say, you never know who a survivor is: a mother, sister, friend, neighbor, teacher — anyone. Survivors are thriving all around us, and it is important to respect their stories and experiences, as well as recall the lives lost to such violence.”

For more information about Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Take Back the Night, visit utoledo.edu/studentaffairs/saepp, toledotakebackthenight.org or facebook.com/TBTNToledo.