March planned in Bristol as part of action on violence against women
More rapes were recorded last year than ever before, according to the Office for National Statistics
Special events are planned across the country over the next few weeks to highlight the issue of violence against women.
It's all part of 16 days of action starting today (25 November), with interested parties set to hold social media campaigns and events to shine a light on the problem.
It comes with today also the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Claire Bloor is the chief executive of Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (SARSAS) and told us that after the events of this year including the murder's of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa in the capital, the days of action will be more poignant than ever.
"It has shown us unfortunately that women still aren't safe on the streets, but also unfortunately where the most violence takes place for women is in the home with someone that they know," she said.
"We are seeing an increase in the recorded sexual offenses.
"We are also currently, at all services across the country...seeing a massive increase in the number of survivors coming forward seeking some support and help.
"That is both recent rape and sexual abuse cases happening in homes and out in the community, but also people who have been really badly triggered by all the media coverage or experienced something a number of years ago and are only now feeling safe to come forward because there is now more recognition and space to talk about this issue."
Statistics show that in the UK, 97 percent of women have experienced some form of sexual harassment.
Research carried out by The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) in 2019 estimates that, of the 773,000 adults aged 16 to 74 who were victims of sexual assault, 80% were female.
There has been an eight percent increase in recorded sexual offences over the last year with the highest number of recorded rapes ever, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.
"One of the things we're calling for this year is for people to support their local sexual violence services wherever they live in the country, either by volunteering, by donating or by calling on the government to ensure that there's sustainable funding for these services so we can deliver the support to this increase in people that are coming forward asking for help."
Tonight a Reclaim the Night march will take place through the centre of Bristol, starting at the Victoria Rooms at 7pm and ending with speeches at Queen Square.
SARSAS will also hold an Instagram Live event with Laura Bates, author of Everyday Sexism and patron of the charity, talking about what more can be done and chatting about her work.
If you want to find out more about SARSAS' work head to their website here.