By Justin Golec
Survivors of abuse, violence and sexual assault gathered at the Towson University Counseling Center Wednesday night to participate in the Clothesline Project and spread awareness of crimes against women.
The Clothesline Project involves women who are survivors of sexual violence coming together and making T-shirts to represent one’s experience. The messages on each T-shirt ranged from the simple to the profound, including declarations like “you will reap what you sow” and “no does not mean convince me.”
Alexandra Shiflett, a graduate assistant who advises the sexual assault and body image peer education programs at the Counseling Center, said the simple act of making a T-shirt is one of the most effective ways for survivors of sexual violence to communicate what happened to them.
“For those who have gone through these traumatic experiences, making a T-shirt can be very therapeutic and serve as a creative outlet without making someone look like a victim,” Shiflett said. “The shirts range from heartbreaking to inspiring and really make anyone stop and think about what could have happened to that person.”
Corinne Libcke, a sexual assault peer educator at Towson University, said the visual display of one’s emotions is a great way for survivors to regain their voice.
“By being able to put their stories out there, it gives back a voice to survivors who had their choices taken away from them,” Libcke said.
The T-shirts will be displayed on a clothesline in Freedom Square today as part of Take Back the Night, an event run by the Towson Female Collective that’s dedicated to spreading awareness of sexual violence through the sharing of stories and a candlelight vigil. It’s the feeling of community, Shiflett said, that helps survivors come out to try and rationalize their experience.
“Take Back the Night is a place where these people can see that they’re not alone,” Shiflett said. “Being with others and sharing a story of a time when you were most victimized is really empowering and helps people start to move on with their lives.”
The Clothesline Project started in the summer of 1990 in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, by a group of women who wanted to spread awareness of the violence against women during the Vietnam War. Take Back the Night dates all the way back to 1950s Europe.
Susan Diaz, a nurse at Johns Hopkins Hospital who has treated patients that were pregnant as a direct result of rape, believes the most difficult aspect of helping someone move past their trauma is not knowing how to relate to them.
“It’s tough because you’re not sure how to start that conversation,” Diaz said. “All we can do is leave ourselves open to them and let them feel comfortable enough to share with us.”
The number of reported sexual crimes has been steadily decreasing in Baltimore County.
According to the 2013 Maryland Unified Crime Report, there were 147 reported cases of rape in 2011. In 2012, that number stayed the same before dropping to 125 reported cases in 2013. The statistics for 2014 will not be available until later this fall.