A COMMUNITY IS standing up against a sex attacker plaguing their area by marching through all the places the man has struck.
Take Back the Night is the idea of Emily Lyon, who said the march through Shankill, Dublin, this evening (Friday) “is intended as a protest against all forms of sexual, relationship and domestic violence”.
The march has come about after a number of women were sexually assaulted in the area of south Dublin over the space of a year. The latest attack happened in the Bayview estate on the outskirts of Shankill at the end of last month.
According to Lyon, the walk intends to bring the community together “to stand in solidarity with the people who have been affected by these attacks and to reclaim a space in which community members should feel safe”.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, she added: “This is about taking back our community. There are women who are worried about when they get off public transport that there’s a chance they might get attacked. There are people changing their schedules so they can get back home before it’s dark because they are scared for their safety. That’s not good enough. What this walk is about is to stand up for everyone who has ever been affected by sexual violence, as more often than not, individuals are sexually assaulted by someone known to them, in a context in which they feel safe.”
The administration is expected to take place at 7.30pm this evening and will begin at Shankill DART station.
The group will then walk through a number of areas where women were attacked and will finish the demonstration back at the station.
Last year, a number of women were attacked near Shankill Dart Station in a short period of time, leading to protesters occupying the local garda station demanding that more be done to protect women.
The first known incident involving this suspected attacker occurred in December, 2015, when a woman was assaulted as she walked near Shankill Dart Station.
A month later in January 2016, a woman was attacked 300 metres from the Dart station at the entrance to the Holly Park estate. Two weeks later, two complaints of assault were made to the authorities. The incidents are alleged to have taken place on the Quinn’s Road just after Shankill village and on Military Road, which leads to Killiney Dart Station. The Bayview attack occurred in between Shankill Dart Station and Military Road.
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