This weekend sees the return of the Reclaim the Night march in cities all over Europe, when thousands women and girls descend upon the streets at night for a symbolic walk against rape and all other forms of violence against women. The march has been gaining in popularity in recent years, suggesting that many women still don't feel safe on the streets, particularly at night.
In fact, one of the main reasons for holding the event is to draw attention to the alarmingly low conviction rate for rape and sexual assault in the UK: there were more convictions per reported case in the 1970s when Reclaim the Night began, suggesting that we do have a far more worrying situation to deal with today. A survey in More magazine recently revealed that 95% of its female readership do not feel safe on the streets at night, and the march aims to give women confidence about going out as and when they wish.
Here in the UK, the main event happens in Central London but there's a list of reclaim the night locations here detailing the meeting points in other major cities that are holding events on Saturday. All start between 6 and 7pm and go on late into the night.
Will you be taking part in Reclaim the Night this year?