Hundreds of women will be taking to the streets this month in a march to demand justice for rape survivors.

The annual Oxfordshire Reclaim the Night on October 28 will raise awareness about violence against women and demand change.

It comes as the 10th sexual assault in Oxford since May was reported in Rose Hill on Friday.

Reclaim the Night member Clare Cochrane said: “There is as much need as ever to raise awareness for women and their right to be safe, their right to walk the streets at night and their right to speak out.

“Sadly the number of reports of sexual assaults has increased over the summer.

“And it’s fine for the police to tell us to get taxis home after a night out to be safe, but women wouldn’t need to budget more than the average guy if there weren’t people out there raping.

Ms Cochrane said many of the problems stemmed from attitudes, shown in jokes about rape. She added: “We need to stand up and say jokes about rape are not OK.”

Many of the women on the march will be victims of sexual abuse themselves, or the family and friends of victims.

The march is open only to women, but ends with a rally at Ruskin College, Walton Street , which will be open to both sexes.

Ms Cochrane said: “It takes a long time for a women to raise her sense of self worth after being raped.

“You feel violated and it takes a long time building that up again.

“A big part of why this is a women-only march is so that any woman who has experienced any violence will feel safe in that space, but also feel empowered.

“If you’ve been beaten down and felt that loss of self-esteem, being part of a group shouting back is a powerful thing.”

The march begins at Gloucester Green at 6.30pm and travels to Ruskin College for an 8pm rally, featuring speakers and music.

It campaigns for a change in attitudes, a commitment by the government to fund victim support services, consistent police and court treatment and an equal society.