As darkness fell over American University’s campus on Monday, April 7, hundreds of students gathered in front of Kay Spiritual Life Center for Take Back the Night. Some carried maracas and tambourines, while others proudly sported posters with phrases like “no more silence, no more violence” and “claim our bodies, claim our right.” The large body of students then proceeded to march around campus, led by Batala Percussion Band, an all female-drum corps.

Hosted by Women’s Initiative, Take Back the Night aims to bring awareness to sexual assault and violence, as well as create a safe space for those who have experienced it.

“It sounds very obvious that we need a safe space and a lot of people think there are a lot, but the fact of the matter is that there is virtually no space outside of the confidential therapy for in which survivors can speak and just be heard and not be asked intrusive questions or pitied,” says Maris Feeley, who works in the “Consent Campaign and Stopping Violence Against Women” area of Women’s Initiative. “Very few people know how to react to survivors disclosing their experiences, so ‘Take Back the Night’ carves this unique space, where people can actually just be listened to.”

The statistics of sexual assault are staggering. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), 1 in 6 American women will be victims of sexual violence in their lifetimes, resulting in 17.7 million survivors in the country. This number only increases on college campuses where 1 in 4 women will experience some form of sexual violence, and worldwide, where 1 in 3 women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetimes. These statistics also do not take into account that 60 percent of assaults go unreported.

“I knew the statistics about sexual assault but it wasn’t until I went back to Take Back the Night that I realized exactly how common it was,” said sophomore Steffi Badanes. “When you see faces of the people on campus talking about it, it makes a much bigger impact.”

Following the march, AU a cappella group Pitches Be Trippin’ performed for the crowd and then everyone proceeded into the Kay Spiritual Life Center for the speak-out, where survivor after survivor stood before hundreds of people and shared their personal stories. Although the stories were painful to hear, these stories and the overall event are working towards bringing a greater awareness of sexual assault to American University, which, like all colleges, needs to know about it.