Reclaim the Night Brighton — our support message

Reclaim the Night Brighton is marching tonight. 6pm Friday 10th November 2023, meeting at Brighton rail station. Protesting against street harassment & rape culture. Trans & sex worker inclusive.

Our support message:

Hello from WinVisible, women with visible & invisible disabilities – we are with you in spirit at Reclaim the Night Brighton, and taking part on social media. 

As grassroots, multi-racial immigrant and UK-born women together, some of us lgbtqi+, we know that disabled women, and those of us of colour, frequently encounter assault and abuse in the street.  Many women tell of being groped — disguised as physically helping us.  This especially happens to those of us visually impaired or wheelchair users who need physical assistance accessing transport.  Along with other disabled passengers and RMT union members, we were part of the Save Our Ticket Offices campaign, which won a U-turn by the government and train companies.  The jobs of station staff are saved, so we are not reliant on strangers for assistance, and staff are there who can intervene when we are being harassed.  We want guards on the train too!

Since we were here last time, the vulnerability of disabled women to rape and domestic violence has increased along with financial hardship. Disabled women are three times more likely to report rape and twice as likely to suffer domestic violence. Disabled mothers suffer domestic violence for longer, as refuges don’t have care support, and we fear losing our children to the violent father, as the family courts side with them and brand us unfit mothers.  Our Disabled Mothers’ Rights Campaign together with Support Not Separation we are part of, are exposing this injustice. 

With the cost of living crisis, we are campaigning against the latest benefit cuts which make us more dependent on partners and more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, even destitute.

We are also fighting cuts in social care support, where we could be put into residential homes if our support at home costs too much.  This is abusive.

We support the Global Women’s Strike call for a Care Income for looking after ourselves, people and planet, to recognise mothers and other carers of all genders.  This would go some way to recognise and acknowledge the work disabled women do to survive, give us financial independence and change our low social status that encourages abuse.

Take part in Reclaim the Night on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NightReclaim