Features - A bright light shining in the dark: Take Back the Night
Victims of sexual abuse let their voices be heard on handmade t-shirts
By Laila Sholtz-Ames
Journalism major/Honors College, Exeter, Maine
October is Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse Awareness Month, topics that many are still hesitant to talk about. But living in the country that statistically has the highest number of rape victims (in countries that report them), it’s hard not to want to shed light on this. Thankfully, the University of Maine community is willing and able to discuss this subject with the annual “Take Back the Night” event.
Students, faculty and local residents carrying messages of hope, heartbreak, healing and forgiveness lined the University of Maine Mall outside the library recently to pay tribute to victims of sexual abuse. Nearly 200 people attended the Safe Campus Project-sponsored event and listened to several stories about sexual assault and domestic abuse. Though UMaine is one of the the country’s safest college campuses, violence prevention is always a priority.
“Take Back the Night” is an international event intended to raise awareness about violence against women and take a stand against rape and violence. The term “Take Back the Night” came from a 1977 memoir read by Anne Pride at an anti-violence rally in Pittsburgh. The event usually consists of a rally followed by a march and a candlelight vigil. At the University of Maine, attendees stood outside the library and many wore purple ribbons or t-shirts in remembrance of past victims.
As of 2009, it is reported that 1 in 3 women will be assaulted in their lifetime, and of those women, only 40 percent will report it. Some victims don’t report the rapes because they are afraid to do so, they think no one will believe them, or in 68% of cases, the women know their rapist. And I, like nearly every other woman, know someone that has been raped and assaulted. So while it is a difficult subject to discuss, organizations such as UMaine’s Safe Campus Project (which works to prevent domestic and sexual violence) ensure that that these stories, these victims do not go unheard.
Angel Shaw, a Rape Response Services worker, spoke about the work her organization does with rape victims in the Greater Bangor area. “Sexual assault really happens more than we like to think,” Shaw said. “I’m not big on statistics, because I really believe that one person affected by sexual assault is one person too many.”
Indeed, organizations such as UMaine’s Counseling Center and the Bangor-based Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Center came out in support, offering brochures, posters and pens depicting information and stories from past victims. Katie McCarthy, who works with Spruce Run, a Bangor-based center that provides support to victims of domestic violence, says that we must “really work on changing the culture so that we don’t tolerate abuse. We’re all going to work together to do what we can and by speaking up and saying, violence is not okay.”
That message was echoed throughout the night, both in speeches and songs by the female a capella group Renaissance, who sang songs like “Chain, Chain, Chain” and “Let it Be.” Former Renaissance member and UMaine alumna Emily Ann Cain, a state representative from Orono, took the stage to share her thoughts about sexual abuse and stressed the importance of speaking out, of giving a voice to the victims.
“One of the best things we can do to make us safer, is to not be afraid to talk,” Cain said. “When we talk, we are breaking down that silence, and we are helping those victims to not be afraid, to not be ashamed.”
Cain also encouraged students to go out and “have a conversation with friends, partners about domestic and sexual abuse in order to help others.”
The event ended with stories from victims and a candlelight march around campus.
For more information, contact Carey Nason with the Safe Campus Project.
