ALBANY – Take Back The Night on campus at the University at Albany Tuesday night coincided with similar events that were taking place in communities all around the world.

The goal is to shine a light on all forms of sexual violence including assault, abuse, trafficking, stalking, harassment and relationship violence. It is considered a national scourge that is particularly felt on college campuses where one out of four females will become a victim of sexual violence during their four years in school.

“What we’re proud of is that at UAlbany we have the courage to stand up and show what we value,” said Kelly Gorman, Director of the Office of Health Promotion. “We show that violence will not be tolerated here but also we care deeply about supporting and empowering survivors.”

The candlelight vigil launches a month long series of programs in recognition of sexual violence awareness month.

“Not that many people talk about it as often as they should,” said Sabrina Schoendorf, a UAlbany junior. “I think this is a great way to get a conversation started about it.”

Even though most victims are women, it is not unheard of for men to become victims of sexual violence.

“I’m here because I definitely support the cause and I hope a lot more people would come to this (vigil),” said Florian Charles, a UAlbany junior.

“It’s something that definitely isn’t talked about much unless you’re at an event like this, or in a private setting, or you’re dealing with it yourself,” said Mariah Kratt, a UAlbany junior. “This vigil brings that advocacy out so that more people feel like they can talk to and go to people who are safe for them to talk to.”

Before students leave the Take Back The Night event, they will have heard survivors tell their stories and they will have learned about the many community resources available to them should they need them.

“It’s important to really rewrite the narrative and say the night is not a time of day to be scared, it’s a time of day to experience healing and to experience connection and to experience community particularly for our students.” said Naishaly Velez Galan, a Survivor Advocate at the Office of Health Promotion.”

Even though it’s difficult to find a correlation between vigils and trends in sexual violence, organizers will tell you, based on the large numbers of attendees and their enthusiasm, it’s a clear indication people will do anything to support survivors.