Tashi Farmilo
LJI Reporter

The march La rue, la nuit, les femmes sans peur will return to Gatineau this month, once again
drawing women and allies into public space as a statement of defiance and one of belonging.
Organized by CALAS de l’Outaouais, the event is 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 20 sexual assaults are reported to police. In Quebec, more than a
quarter of women have experienced sexual assault in adulthood. In Gatineau, 29 per cent 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 organization 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 is not just a show of solidarity, but an essential act of civic accountability.

“This is not simply a moment of awareness,” Charette said. “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 specialized 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 begins at 6 pm on September 18 at the Maurice Richard statue, at the corner
of Laurier and Allumettières. The route will cross into Ottawa and end near Parliament Hill
around 8 pm. Shuttles will return participants to Gatineau between 8:30 and 9:30 pm, with drop-
offs at the Canadian Museum of History.

Photo: The march La rue, la nuit, les femmes sans peur will return to Gatineau this month,
with Espoir Rosalie’s team – Wafa Bouslih, Isabelle Chandru, Geneviève Bériault, Maryka
Masson, Daphney Courville, Émilie Charrette, Kiesha Laguerre, Jessyka Gagnon and Furuha
Byamungu – joining the call to break the silence around sexual violence and affirming that
safety and dignity are rights for all women. (TF) Photo: Courtesy