Advocates wearing teal bracelets embossed with “Hope, Courage, Endurance and Bravery,” lined the Memorial Union Terrace on Wednesday night for the 15th annual “Take Back the Night” rally.

“Take Back the Night” is an international rally and march that is organized in local communities and on college campuses to raise awareness about violence against women, children and families. The event is a collaboration of the Assault Care Center Extending Shelter and Support, Committee Against Violence and the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center.

Penny Rice, coordinator of the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center, opened the event and took a moment of silence to honor those involved in the event.

“The issues are still present in our lives and on our minds, and we need to remind people of this all the time,” Rice said. “It’s not something we all want to think about because we want to believe our world is safe, warm and friendly and these things don’t happen in Ames — but they do.”

She said the rally is a way to express support and a place for advocates to find allies. There are many support systems in the ISU and Ames community, like ACCESS, the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, the Department of Public Safety, the Sexual Assault Task Force, the Student Counseling Center and the YWCA of Ames.

“When you read statistics or the newspaper, it’s always somebody else; it’s someone that you don’t know, that you have never seen before, but when a survivor stands up and shares her experience and what it has done to her, it gives the violence against women a face and a body, and you can see the pain firsthand,” Rice said.

Angie Schreck of ACCESS said it is important for community members to be understanding of domestic assault victims’ needs.

“It’s important for us to recognize that no matter how a survivor responds after an assault or how they cope months or years later, that it’s a difficult situation for them to go through, and we need to respect them for just surviving the situation and going on with their lives,” she said. “Sexual assault is about vulnerability, accessibility and opportunity, and unfortunately many sexual assaults occur because of the situation.”

Two survivors spoke out against violence and shared their personal sexual assault experiences before advocates lit candles and marched through the greek community and Campustown.

The event concluded with an open mic session at the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center.

“I think assault, domestic violence and sexual assault actually goes on in Ames, and we need to address it and realize that it does happen,” said Ashley Newgard, freshman in women’s studies.