A MARCH dedicated to raising awareness of violence against women and girls is returning to Colchester for the first time in two years.

Reclaim the Night is a national march dedicated to the fight for freedom from sexual violence against women and girls.

Dating back to 1977, the march is a show of strength against all violence against women and girls including domestic abuse, street harassment, rape culture, victim blaming, and all forms of male violence, including the rising epidemic of online misogyny and the radicalisation of young men.

Loud - The march is about 'confidence and empowerment' Loud - The march is about 'confidence and empowerment' (Image: CARA)Alarming statistics from Colchester based Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse show 1 in 4 women have been raped or sexually assaulted as an adult, while 1 in 6 children have been sexually abused.

The charity shared 91 per cent of people prosecuted for sexual offences are men aged 18 and over.

Reclaim the Night is returning to Colchester for the first time since 2022, organised by staff and service users of the charity.

Mandy Maass, 58, an Integrated Support and Advocacy Manager at the charity, said: “This march is about confidence and empowerment, and being loud and joyful and safe on the streets at night.

“Survivors of these types of crimes have the power taken away from them, and so Reclaim the Night is about being who you want to be, dressing how you want to dress, walking the streets and feeling safe, and being part of a collective in the community.

“People can feel confident to just be themselves, without having to look over their shoulder and have their phones in their hand.”

Violence - The march also aims to raise awareness of violence against women and girls Violence - The march also aims to raise awareness of violence against women and girls (Image: CARA) Mandy added that because of the online world, there are more opportunities for crimes against women and girls, including grooming and coercion.

She added: “We want to encourage people to think about the behaviour of perpetrators of violence and sexual offences against women and girls.

“We want to hold a mirror up to society and show how something needs to be different.

“Absolutely everybody is welcome at the march, which will be organised into sections with a section at the front of a dedicated women-only space for people’s wellbeing."

Crowd - There were 150 people at Colchester's last march in 2022Crowd - There were 150 people at Colchester's last march in 2022 (Image: CARA) Colchester Reclaim the Night will take place on Saturday, November 30, with marchers meeting outside Firstsite, Lewis Gardens, at 4.45pm.

The charity will have a stand on Friday, November 29 near Primark in the city centre for banner and sign making, where people who might not join the march can still take part in having their say.

For more information on CARA, visit: https://caraessex.org.uk