Violence against women and girls has been described by the Prime Minister as one of the government's top priorities. But those walking for the Reclaim the Night campaign say they're still waiting for structural change. Jasmine Sandhar reports.
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00:00This is not a winter walk in the countryside.
00:05It's a protest, and it happens once a year.
00:09Reclaim the Night is a friendly walk from Rust Hall, where I live, to the Pantiles.
00:16I started it a couple of years ago in 2022 because a woman had been attacked on the corner of Tunbridge Wells Common
00:25on the route that I would take.
00:27Obviously it was awful for the women concerned, but also there's a ripple effect on every woman in the community.
00:34There have been lots of incidents of indecent exposure around the village I live in on Rust Hall and Tunbridge Wells Common.
00:42There is no place that is safe in the whole country if you are a woman or a girl.
00:49It's pitch black and freezing cold here, but over 50 people have shown up to walk today in solidarity.
00:56One in 12 women experience violence every year, and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has promised to halve this within the next decade.
01:04But are local authorities doing enough to help keep women safe?
01:07There are usual things of lighting and stuff, but I think the council deserves some credit.
01:13It is a white ribbon accredited organisation, but essentially it's something that society needs to own and society as a whole.
01:21And because it's individual men who actually perpetrate the kind of behaviour that needs to be changed.
01:28A lot of it is down to individual attitudes. I think it's important that men and boys are educated right from a young age.
01:39So I think education is the key in this, along with support for groups such as the White Ribbon Group,
01:46who are dedicated to encouraging men to call out other men if they witness inappropriate behaviour about women or make inappropriate comments about women.
01:58People would talk about, well, do you want better street lighting or do you want more police?
02:03And yes, these are all factors, but the real thing that we want is cultural change.
02:07We want an end to sexism and misogyny, which creates violence against women and girls.
02:14The government have set out new measures to tackle this issue, but until Reclaim the Night and Tambridge Wells see a difference, they will carry on walking.
02:22Jasmine Sandar for KMTV.