In the United States alone, it is estimated that 1.3 million women are victims of physical violence every year, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. And according to the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Crime Victimization Survey, on average there are 237,868 annual victims of rape and sexual assault. Even without the staggering statistics, it is no secret that sexual and domestic violence is a huge issue on both national and international scales.
Here at Miami, violence against women has hit close to home since the start of the 2014-2015 academic year. Within the past seven weeks there have been three reported cases of rape, both on campus and Uptown. But according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, it is estimated that only one in four domestic violence attacks and only one in five rapes are reported by the victims, suggesting that there are many more victims of sexual and domestic violence on campus.
During the month of October, officially recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Miami along with nearly 500 other national and international campuses and communities takes part in the “Clothesline Project.” Established in 1990 by a group of women from Massachusetts, the goal of the project is to “educate, break the silence and bear witness to one issue – violence against women,” through the creation and display of t-shirts created by survivors of domestic/sexual violence, as well as their friends and families (clotheslineproject.org).
On the official website, clotheslineproject.org, the founders explain that the act of creating the t-shirt gives the survivors, friends, families and victims a new voice to express their experiences. The act of creating the t-shirt, putting their individual experiences into words or pictures, hanging it up in a public place and then being able to walk away is described on the website as being, “a powerful step towards helping a survivor break through the shroud of silence that has surrounded her experience.”
If you walked through the Hub during October 1-3, you probably noticed the dozens of shirts hanging on a clothesline between the trees. The recent and multiple reports of rape on campus further stress the importance and relevance of the Clothesline Project and its goals, because rape, sexual assault and domestic violence, whether it be against men or women, is inexcusable in any and all circumstances.
Her Campus would like anyone who has been a victim of sexual and/or domestic violence, as well as anyone who suspects a friend or peer may be the victim of sexual/domestic violence, to know that we are standing up with you and speaking out. Victims may contact University Police, the Women’s Center and the Student Counseling Center for additional support.