Hundreds of people took to the streets of Luxembourg City on Friday evening, marching from Hamilius to the Chamber of Deputies.
Their call for the right to walk home safely reflects a growing concern, one that is reaffirmed by recent communications from both the public prosecutor's office and the police.
A particularly serious case occurred on 17 August, when a woman was assaulted at night on the Grand Rue in Luxembourg City. The suspect is currently facing charges including attempted murder and rape.
On 30 August, a man with unbuttoned trousers reportedly followed a woman through the capital.
On 20 September, two women were assaulted on Rue Sainte-Zithe, and on Thursday, another woman had a her necklace ripped from her neck at the Place de Paris.
To raise awareness of these safety concerns affecting many women and men, the non-profit "Ask for Angela" organised a peaceful march through the city.
The event was held under the slogan: "We are not overreacting, you are underreacting". Terri Allington, president of Ask for Angela, explained that the phrase reflects the wider problem of society not taking women's safety as seriously as it should.
Allington told RTL that she sees it as a general slogan, arguing that many men sadly do not believe women's experiences and that certain authorities do not react strongly enough.
Those attending the march confirmed these concerns, even if their experiences are not representative of everyone.
One participant said that they never went anywhere without looking over their shoulders and were especially cautious at night.
She said this was not normal and that she wanted to be able to walk home in peace without feeling afraid whenever she goes out in the evening.
Another described how the only thing that made her feel remotely safe was the presence of banks and embassies in her neighbourhood, which means that security guards were often around.
"But I can't keep relying on others all the time", she shared.
Another participant said there was little that people were allowed to do to defend themselves beyond using words, questioning how effective that has ever been against violence towards women or anyone else.
She also pointed to a petition calling for pepper spray permissions in certain situations, which she was in support of.
Another marcher said she personally is in favour of the petition and had already signed it. While she acknowledged that ideally no one should ever need to use it, she questioned what other options there are in case of an attack by a man on the street.
Terri Allington herself does not support the use of pepper spray, believing that women should not have to carry something for self-defence at all times.
She insists that more should be done in terms of prevention, rather than expecting potential victims to protect themselves.
