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The women who do not support the inclusion of men, feel very strongly the primary focus of intent for Reclaim the Night is as an event for women and children only. Reclaim the Night is a practical expression of their feminism and solidarity with women from diverse backgrounds. Reclaim the Night came out of women=s need to challenge male violence against them and the curfew mentality imposed on them. They feel that it is about creating safety for women in the march and rally and that is achieved by making it a women and children only event. Rural groups who stage a women and children's only event support the objectives of being able to march safely without men on one night of the year, to reclaim public spaces for women and children, and to promote the survival and strength of women. They consciously do not focus on men's issues, nor accommodate men's need to be involved, and feel that men's participation defeats the purpose of the march. They support and encourage men to be active about this issue on other occasions but ask them to respect women=s right to march by themselves. Men can support the marchers by lining the streets and speaking out against male violence, as well as organising their own event on another occasion, as they have done in the past on White Ribbon Day. "We are protesting against the power of male sexual violence, RTN has always been about male sexual violence, therefore you are talking about men. If you invite men how do you know they are not sexually violent... perpetrators always deny they have done it. Child sexual assault does not happen by men from Mars...very ordinary, accountable, everyday men do it. No-one addresses this. They are unidentifiable ... The Yorkshire Ripper appeared to be a happily married man with a wife and children. We are not talking about psychopaths. We are talking about everyday men. Why would you invite them to march with you?" Janne, Wollongong "Be
clear about men not being there, partly
out of respect for women who have been assaulted or abused... they would never
come if men were there."
Bobby, Wauchope "One woman's sensitive new age guy is another woman's bad experience!"Christine, Bathurst "It's a women's march to me - men have everything else." Rosemary, Moruya "We have found it best to encourage men to participate in other ways; to line the march in support, to baby sit, to speak out to other men against all forms of abuse and violence towards women." Bobby, Wauchope "If people want to get out there and do something else about men who are sexually assaulted, then that needs to be initiated by that group in the community ... RTN as it is can=t be hijacked by other groups. That=s taking away the issues that helped set up RTN, those issues are still relevant today." "... I think even if we are in a country town, and even if we are very vulnerable, we still need to make a stand and we need to explain why we are making a stand, and we need to explain why we=re making that stand, and I guess that's why the sensitive issues need to be tackled from the beginning with the media and with community groups." "... If you want to do something with men's involvement, don't do it under the Reclaim the Night name." Sarah, Bathurst "Having men there ignores where it was born and that things haven't changed much in twenty years. Having men there is not going to help... we lose the principle of why we are taking to the streets." Rose, Lismore "Last year there were perpetrators on the sidewalks. Women asked us and other workers if we will walk with them so that they feel safe to march, and marshals have also marched near them as well. There was intimidation by the perpetrators just being there on the sidewalk. They are exerting power over women but would say, I'm not doing anything wrong'. The march is for women only and we=re not separatist - how do you say that and be understood?" Trish, Albury "I still think because of the experiences of women and the fact that most of their abusers are men, that we need to keep that women's space separate. That's not to say that we can't be involved in other initiatives in the community." Sarah, Bathurst "It's difficult to satisfy everybody, particularly where women in the group want men to be involved. Suggest that they invite "their " men to support women as part of the crowd in the streets." Janne, Wollongong "It is our right to walk the streets safely as women. It doesn't sit well to have men there on this occasion." Rose, Lismore
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