“Take Back the Night” at FIU to raise awareness and battle sexual abuse

FIU’s Women’s Center and Victim Advocacy Center will sponsor their sixth annual “Take Back the Night” event, which raises awareness about sexual abuse, April 12. The program will include speakers and a candlelight vigil, as well as educational and interactive exhibits.

An annual international affair, “Take Back the Night” serves as both a memorial to people who have been victimized and an empowerment rally to end abuse.

The movement began in Europe as a protest against the fear women encountered on the streets at night. In 1976, during the International Tribunal on Crimes against Women, 2,000 women representing 40 countries held a candlelight procession through the streets of Brussels, Belgium. The first rally in the United States took place in San Francisco in 1978.

FIU’s activities are organized by a coalition of more than 15 university offices, departments and student organizations.

The program begins at 7 p.m. in Graham Center Ballrooms at Modesto A. Maidique Campus.

For more information, contact the Women’s Center at 305 348-1506, or tbtn@fiu.edu.