Hundreds of women stage Reclaim The Night march in Sheffield

The Reclaim the Night march, organised by Sheffield University Students’ Union, set off from the Cathedral and a colourful and noisy march then made its way along Fargate.

The march coincided with a number of other events across the country to tie in with the annual United Nations Day to End Violence Against Women, which takes place on Monday.

A statement by Reclaim The Night said: “In the climate of #MeToo, #YoTambien and #BalanceTonPorc Reclaim the Night is as relevant as ever – if not more so. Violence against women continues to occur every minute of every day, but women everywhere are making a stand.

“Put your feet on the streets to shout a loud NO to rape and all forms of male violence against women.”

Reclaim the Night came to the UK 40 years ago, in 1977.

One of the first marches took place in Leeds where women took to the streets to protest the police requesting women to stay at home after dark in response to the Yorkshire Ripper murders.

Placards read “No curfew on women – curfew on men”.

It added: “It is hard to believe we are still marching 40 years later, yet in a climate where prosecutions for sexual violence are going down, reports of sexual assaults on the transport network are on the up, and two women a week are killed by their male partner or ex-partner, it remains relevant.

“This march is a show of strength and a collective demand for freedom from sexual violence and harassment.”