Collegiate Times

This Wednesday and Thursday, Womanspace and the Montgomery County National Organization for Women will set up their annual display on the Drillfield. Known as the Clothesline Project, the initiative is an attempt to raise awareness about violence against women and offer those who are victims the chance to share their experiences. Women who have been victims create shirts in a variety of colors based on their personal experiences. Each shirt represents a person who has dealt with the effects of violence at some point during their life.

This project is always a positive event in that it opens up the community to something that is normally kept quiet. Many victims of violence are often either too ashamed or scared to open up and share their experiences and personal stories with others, and this project gives them that opportunity. The unique aspect of the project is that each year new shirts are added to the line, along with the other hundreds of shirts that have been displayed in previous years. Adding their own T-shirts to a clothesline with shirts of those from years past provides victims with some sort of solidarity in letting them know they're not alone. The courage of one small group of people to make their personal stories known is what inspires others to open up about their own experiences with abuse.

"Sexual Assault goes underreported" (CT, Feb. 5) presented statistics from Tech's Clery Act report, reporting that there were 11 reported cases of sexual assault between 2006 and 2007. The story goes on to note that a report issued by the National Institute of Justice and the Department of Justice estimates that approximately 35 of every 1,000 female college students are assaulted each year. Based on this statistic, the report makes the number of sexual assault cases reported at Tech each year seem much lower than one would expect.  

A large number of sexual assault cases go unreported each year and those who are victims need to know that there are a variety of options available to them, including counseling and the women's center. Victims of sexual assault should never have to suffer in silence, especially because it's never their fault. Sexual assault, however, is not the only kind of abuse victims endure. The Clothesline Project also gives those who are victims of physical abuse the opportunity to shamelessly share their stories.  

Those wishing to make a shirt are encouraged to do so at the Women's Center up until this Friday. Even if you've never been a victim of physical or sexual abuse, you likely know someone who has. This week, take time to recognize the victims of abuse, whether sexual, physical or emotional, and give them the courage to no longer live in shame.

The editorial board is composed of David Grant, David Harries, Laurel Colella, Jenna Marson and Alexandra Kauffman.