Take Back the Night rally takes place at Vancouver Art Gallery

More than a hundred women descended on downtown Vancouver Friday night, taking part in one of the many Take Back the Night rallies happening across the country.

Among the crowd gathered outside the Vancouver Art Gallery, young women from UBC, who say they’re fed up with feeling unsafe on campus.

“I am told that I should be afraid of being raped or sexually assaulted and then when it comes to that, then it’s my fault,” said UBC student Mairead Cavinaw.

Blessing Falayi, also a UBC student, says she’s become accustomed to having to having to watch her back at night when on campus.

“You kind of have to expect it. You’re taught from girlhood to know don’t walk alone, keep a light on you, keep a rape whistle on you, instead of teaching our sons, maybe, don’t rape people,” she said.

Those here tonight are hoping their signs and message won’t be overlooked.

In British Columbia last year, domestic violence cases rose to troubling levels: 20 murders, eight attempted murders and nine cases where perpetrators took their own lives in murder suicides.

In February, premier Christy Clark announced millions of dollars in civil forfeiture money would be used to fund a new domestic violence unit in Surrey, as part of the government’s strategy to end violence against women.

However, according to Vancouver’s Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter, six women have already been murdered this year by their husbands. Daisy Kler, a crisis worker and one of the rally’s organizers, says both the provincial and federal governments should and could be doing more.

“They can restore legal aid funding, they can increase the social assistance rates, they can ensure that there’s affordable housing and they can make sure that the police respond to every call of violence against women,” she said.