Colchester: Reclaim the Night march held during World Cup

Hundreds of people joined the march through Colchester city centre on Saturday

Campaigners staged a "show of strength" march during a World Cup fixture to "highlight the reality of male violence" against women.

Staff and supporters from Colchester's Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse (Cara) took to the streets on Saturday.

It coincided with the football tournament, when male violence against women is known to increase.

The march's organisers called for "collective action from our whole community to end it".

The charity works with victims and survivors of sexual violence and child sexual abuse across north Essex.

Organisers cited research carried out by Lancaster University which showed reports of abuse during World Cup matches increased by 26% when the England team won or drew, and by 38% when they lost.

The march in Colchester was one of six to take place nationally

The march was one of six Reclaim the Night marches held nationally, with others taking place in Peterborough, Belfast, Liverpool, Newcastle upon Tyne and Derby.

Sarah Clementson, Cara's head of operations, said: "It's about reclaiming public spaces for women and girls, after dark and during the day, rejecting victim-blaming and creating the expectation that women and girls should have as much freedom in the way they behave as men and boys."

The event highlighted how male violence rises during international football matches

Service user Alisha, who took part in the march, said she wanted to stand with women and girls as a survivor herself.

"If you are a survivor of violence, it doesn't matter what you were wearing, where you are from, what religion you are, what sexuality or if you reported it straight away, later on or even not at all," she said.

"Nothing is your fault. The abusers have an obligation not to do it."