Take back the night in Gatineau

Tashi Farmilo

Take back the night is an international movement to occupy public spaces where violence against women has limited access to these, and other, vulnerable people. The march “La rue, la nuit, les femmes sans peur” drew women and allies into public space as a statement of defiance and one of belonging. Organised by CALAS de l’Outaouais, the event was part of a global movement rooted in the 1970 Take Back the Night protests,and continues to challenge the idea that fear should dictate a woman’s right to move freely through any city.

Sexual violence remains among the most persistent and least reported crimes in Canada. Nationally, fewer than one in twenty sexual assaults are reported to police. In Quebec, more than a quarter of women have experienced sexual assault in adulthood. In Gatineau, 29 percent of women say they’ve experienced unwanted sexual behaviour in public—one of the highest rates in the province. For racialized, Indigenous and younger women, the numbers are higher still. Despite government strategies and increased services, the daily reality for many remains one of caution, altered routes and safety calculations.

Espoir Rosalie, a Gatineau-based organisation that supports mothers in vulnerable situations, is among those backing this year’s march. Founded in 1992, the group provides housing, parenting support and social services for women and children facing instability. Its work is built around the belief that safety and dignity should not be conditional. For executive director Émilie Charette, the march was not just a show of solidarity, but an essential act of civic accountability.

“This is not simply a moment of awareness,” Charette told the Post {ITALICS}. “It is a public call to confront the structural conditions that enable sexual violence. Supporting survivors means not just responding after the fact, it means challenging the culture that makes such violence possible.”

While the Quebec government has introduced a five-year integrated strategy on sexual and domestic violence, expanding legal aid, shelter space and specialised services, advocates maintain that policy alone is not enough. Visibility, they argue, keeps pressure on institutions while offering survivors something equally critical: public acknowledgement.

This year’s march was September 18 at the Maurice Richard statue, at the corner of Laurier and Allumettières. The route crossed into Ottawa and ended near Parliament Hill around 8 pm. Shuttles returned participants to Gatineau afterwards, with drop-offs at the Canadian Museum of History.