Southeast Missouri State University student publication

Clothesline project gives voice to survivors of domestic, sexual violence

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Two campus organizations sponsor a series of events to raise awareness about domestic violence this month. The Campus Violence Prevention Program collaborated with Southeast’s Rising Redhawks to host their annual clothesline project. The clothesline project enables survivors of domestic violence to write their story on a shirt and have the supporters hang it up using clothespins with encouraging words written on them. This project is a worldwide event which takes place annually in October

Maria Bolf lays down to protest to raise awareness of sexual and domestic violence outside of Kent Library on Oct. 4.
Photo by Ariel Ferman

“Over 50 percent of college students said they experience sexual violence,” Coordinator of CVVP, Donna St. Sauver said “It affects so many people, just knowing that motivates you to do something to change it.”

Graduate Assistant Richa Bhattarai said participants in the clothesline project were interested in the topic and wanted to help spread the word about the importance of the topic and wanted to help spread the word about the importance of the topic. She said the content of student shirts demonstrated the seriousness of the topic.

“After seeing all the shirts with quotes I felt really bad,” Bhattarai said. “We really need to work on this.”

Sauver said how some students from Redhawks Rising dressed up each day representing domestic violence. On Tuesday survivors walked around with tape crossed over their mouths handing out their story to students. Their hope was to bring awareness with their silence.

Junior Rachel Fox, is a survivor of sexual abuse, said she has shared her story in hopes of inspiring and giving courage to others.

“It wasn’t until my freshman year that I really started becoming an advocate for this in terms of what happened to me and using it as a platform for speaking to other women and men that have been affected,” Fox said.

She said being a part of Redhawks Rising has been liberating for her because she is able to speak about these issues to others.

Redhawks Rising member Alyssa Wood said events like the ones they are sponsoring helps the survivors express themselves. She felt empowered writing on her shirt, being able to “anonymously shout it,” she said.

Woods felt like this project was a reality check for most students. This made people realize that domestic violence is not a joke and it does happen.

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