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More than 150 people join reclaim the night march

Jon Wright
BBC News
Reporting fromIpswich
Jon Wright/BBC Two women holding a banner which reads Reclaim the Night walk along a street. there is a bright mural behind with the word Stop and some hands.Jon Wright/BBC
Jon Wright/BBC Three people hold cardboard banners with slogans written on them saying Not all men but all women have a story, want safe place for my sister and she's already had everything she needs within herself it's the world that convinced her she did not.Jon Wright/BBC
The march went past a series of murals on Ipswich Waterfront, with messages against street harassment and violence towards women and girls
Students Aimee, Lucie and Emma took part in a banner-making workshop at the University of Suffolk before the march

About 150 people have taken part in an annual march highlighting violence against women and girls.

Ipswich Reclaim the Night was taken on by the University of Suffolk Students' Union after the closure of Suffolk Rape Crisis last year.

The march saw people walk from the town's waterfront to the Cornhill in the town centre.

Katie Pickard, president of the students' union, said: "Suffolk Rape Crisis asked the students to carry on the work they were doing, and student officers and the staff team are incredibly passionate about making sure it is."

Jon Wright/BBC Suffolk A crowd outside Ipswich town hall at night. In the foreground is a placard which reads End violence against women and girls. Never again, never forgetJon Wright/BBC Suffolk
The majority of the 150 participants held placards with messages of anger and frustration that women still felt unsafe

Ms Pickard told BBC Radio Suffolk the march was an opportunity to raise specific issues with local councillors.

"Awareness of the lack of street lighting in Ipswich town and how it does feel quite intimidating for student walking from a campus into town because of these factors.

"That's one thing we really kind of want to shine a light on, the lack of lighting, but also raising awareness in general about how this is still going on 40, 50 years later.

"It is important that our voices are heard.

"This is a problem that affects everyone, it is not just a female problem and we all need to do what we can to call out these behaviours and challenge them."

The scale of the problem across the UK

Data from the National Police Chiefs' Council, published last year revealed:

  • More than one million violence against women and girls (VAWG)-related crimes were recorded during 2022-23, accounting for 20% of all police recorded crime
  • Police recorded VAWG related crime increased by 37% from 2018 to 2023
  • At least one in every 12 women will be a victim per year, with the exact number expected to be much higher
  • One in every six murders related to domestic abuse in 2022-23, with suspected victim suicides following domestic abuse rising year-on-year
Jon Wright/BBC Suffolk Two women stand, one is holding a sign with a heart logo on it.Jon Wright/BBC Suffolk
Shannon Priestley (left) is the student union's women's officer and Lauren Searle (right) is its LGBTQ+ officer. They addresed participants before the march set off

Following the closure of Suffolk Rape Crisis due to a lack of funding, the Suffolk GP Federation launched a new service to support survivors of sexual abuse.

Iris (Individualised, Recovery & Resilience, Information & Support) opened at the start of October 2024.

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