Drums beat rhythmically as names of victims of domestic violence were read Sunday night on the steps of the Memorial Tower at the annual international Take Back the Night march.Take Back the Night aims to increase sexual and domestic violence awareness, said Carol Plummer, University assistant professor of social work.The original Take Back the Night march took place in Belgium in 1976. The event has traditionally taken place at Baton Rouge High School, but because of construction the committee had to look for a new venue. Catherine Hopkins, Women’s Center director who volunteered the University for the event, said the move resulted in greater attendance and greater student involvement.Police escorted participants in the march and helped offer protection and direct traffic.Take Back the Night is a locally organized event with an international community. Many separate events occur in cities worldwide, but each shares the same message of ending domestic abuse. Similar events took place in Port Allen, Point Coupee and St. Francisville.One in five women and one in 33 men have experienced attempted rape, and women ages 16 to 24 experience the highest per capita rates of violence, according to information from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.Women who have been abused may be scared or ashamed and don’t want to be seen like a victim, said Tammie Guillory, member of the Board of Directors for the Battered Women’s Shelter.”We have to break the silence,” said Martha G. Forbes, executive director of the Battered Women’s Program Capital Area Family Violence Intervention Center, as she urged survivors to share their stories.Forbes, who has been with the program for six years, said Take Back the Night has become more visible in the Baton Rouge community.Area leaders such as Mayor-President Kip Holden and newly elected District Attorney Hillar Moore spoke at the event.Forbes said it was the first time Holden had publicly shared his story of domestic violence.”There were mornings that I did not know whether my mom or my dad would be alive because of the violence in my household,” Holden said during the pre-march program. “You can’t deal with domestic violence just with a restraining order.”Plummer said sexual violence is prevalent on college campuses, but many instances go unreported because they fall into the “ambiguous zone.”—-Contact Olga Kourilova at [email protected]
‘Take Back the Night’ march hosted on campus
October 18, 2008