I was proud to join hundreds of women, men and children on Friday 26 October for the Lake Macquarie Reclaim the Night March.

This annual campaign aims to draw attention to sexual violence against women in all forms, from assault to lewd comments and the objectification of women.

The movement was born in Leeds, England in 1977, and demanded that women be able to move freely throughout public spaces at night.

Twenty years later, in 1997, Reclaim the Night Australia was founded.

Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows roughly one in five women have experienced sexual assault since the age of 15.

The event kicked off with live entertainment by The Jazz Monkeys and a free BBQ courtesy of Warners Bay Scouts, followed by the march along the foreshore.

The guest speaker on the night was Sharon Grimmond from Newcastle Sexual Assault services who spoke about sexual assault reports to Police being at an all-time high, with over 1200 reported incidents just in the Hunter region from March 2017-March 2018.

I would like to congratulate the Eastlakes Domestic Violence Committee for organising the event, in particular, Committee chairperson Jess Salvador.