Clothesline Project increases awareness of domestic violence

The statistics are shocking. Each day in the United States, three women are killed by their partners. Every minute of every day a woman is raped. Every 14 seconds a woman is battered.

Many people are unaware of the frequency of such horrific acts, despite the high numbers as reported by the National Center for Victims. For that reason Jessica Cota ’10, a psychology major and women and genders studies concentrator from Weymoth, has joined the national campaign called the Clothesline Project.

The Clothesline Project — a vehicle for women affected by violence to express their emotions by decorating a shirt — will be on display in the Hogan First Floor Lobby from April 16 through 20. By giving victims a voice, the project hopes to bring about more awareness to the staggering problem of abuse against women and children.

The project began in 1990 by members of the Cape Cod Women’s Agenda who wanted to recognize the fact that 51,000 women had been killed by their partners. What began with 31 T-shirts connected on a single clothesline has grown to more than 300 national and international projects with an estimated 35,000 T-shirts, according to the Clothesline Project Web site.

The mission of the Clothesline Project is rooted in four basics. The project aims to bear witness to the survivors of abuse, help the healing process for victims, educate and expand awareness about abuse and develop a network of support.

On display in the Hogan Lobby are 19 T-shirts created by faculty, staff, and students, including Cota. Some T-shirts were designed in connection with the Vagina Monologues, which was recently staged at Holy Cross.

The colors of the T-shirts represent different forms of violence, says Cota. White represents women who were killed; yellow or beige represent women who were battered or assaulted; red or pink represent women who were raped; blue or green represents those who were sexually abused as children; purple for women victimized for being lesbians; and black represents women who have been permanently handicapped because of violence, or abused because they are disabled.

“The different color T-shirts stand for different types of abuse that women have undergone, and they are displayed to show that abuse against women is still an issue,” says Cota.

“It is very important to make a stand by ‘breaking the silence’ and demonstrating that violence against women is an issue,” she says. “Helping to remind people that everyone should come together to fight against violence for all is important.”