Clothesline gives victims a voice


Clothesline gives victims a voice
Date 4/22/2004 12:00 AM | Topic: News
Some
shirts date back as far as ten
years.

Some share messages about pain, loss and sorrow. Many of
the shirts also proudly display messages of hope, peace and
healing.
As part of the annual Clothesline Project, these shirts reflect
many students' realities in dealing with sexual assault.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and there are many
activities to create and spread awareness about sexual assault.


Two annual projects sponsored by Luther College Women's Concerns
are the Clothesline Project and Take Back the Night, a vigil/march
through campus commemorating victims of sexual assault. This year,
both events are also a part of Peace Week.
Take Back the Night took place on Wednesday, April 21. There was
a candlelight march through campus, ending with
music and an interactive
speaker.


Lindsey Sumner ('06) and Meredith Bird ('04) provided
music, and Carole Daughton of the
Domestic and Sexual Assault Resource Center spoke during the
event.
"Daughton talked about the frequency and occurrence of sexual
assault in Winneshiek County, ways of prevention, same-sex assault
and violence, and resources if and when assault occurs," said
Courtney Allensworth ('04), co-leader of Women's Concerns.
The Clothesline Project, which is being displayed in the Union
throughout Peace Week, was started in 1990 in Massachusetts with
just a few shirts. The project soon spread across the United States
and has been at Luther College for at least seven years.


"It's hard to tell how long the Clothesline Project has actually
been around at Luther. There are some old shirts that are dated as
far back as ten years," said Allensworth.
The shirts all commemorate
people's experiences with
violence, incest, sexual assault and sexual abuse.
"All of the shirts hanging in the Union were made here at Luther
and reflect stories of people at Luther College," said Patricia
Dickerson ('06).


Most of the shirts detail women's experiences with sexual
assault committed by a friend, boyfriend or acquaintance.
"It's a common misconception to think of rapists as scary men in
black lurking in the back alleys of Roscoe's. But most rapists are
someone the victim knows," Sumner said.
According to the posters hanging around campus, five percent of
college-aged women are assaulted every year and 90 percent of these
women know their attacker.


The reported amount of sexual assault at Luther is comparatively
low; seven reported forcible sex offenses occurred in 2002,
according to the Luther College Crime Statistics and the Annual
Security Report.
"Stats of sexual abuse include a range of offensives, so a
'fondling' incident, for example, would be included in the stats,
the same as sexual assault with intercourse," said Associate Dean
for Student
Life Bob Felde.
"Our stats seem relatively low, and that could be partly related
to being a residential campus, where stats are typically lower than
when a good number of students live off campus."
Meghan Karels ('05) believes numbers may not tell the whole
story.


"Rape does happen at Luther. The shirts in the Clothesline
Project show that it does happen whether it is reported or not,"
said Karels.
Another common misconception is that sexual assault is only a
problem for women and girls, but the t-shirts are not only
commemorative of females who have dealt with sexual assault, but
also of males.
"These shirts are not just of women's experiences.

They show
that sexual assault happens to males as well," said
Allensworth.
Sarah Frahm ('06) said, "There was one shirt about a little girl
that was really sad. The project is cool because it raises
awareness on campus."
Women's Concerns encourages people to continue to make shirts
and hang them up on the clotheslines.


--
Kathryn Hobson

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