Clothesline Project addresses sexual violence

Don’t be surprised to see the dirty laundry of 200 women hanging out to dry on the quad next week on Oct 8 -9.

The Women’s Center at Boise State is partnering with the Women and Children’s Alliance to bring the Clothesline Project back to the university for the third year in a row.

A clothesline strung across campus will hold over 200 decorated T-shirts commemorating the victims of assault, rape and incest. Melissa Wintrow, director of Boise State’s Women’s Center, said the Clothesline Project creates a visual display that bears witness to the acts of violence committed against women in the community.

“I bet every single one of us knows someone, or maybe is that someone, who has been the victim of domestic or sexual abuse,” Wintrow said. “The goal is to create a campus climate where it is acceptable to talk about the issue of violence against women.”

According to the Women and Children’s Alliance, there are approximately 4 million incidents of domestic violence annually in the United States. Bev LaChants, executive director of the WCA, said education is key to reducing domestic violence.

“The greater the awareness we have, the greater opportunity we have to combat this insidious issue,” LaChants said.

Wintrow said that, like every other institution in the U.S., Boise State is affected by the problem of domestic and sexual violence.

“It is the university’s responsibility as a whole to create a climate of support to the victim and education to the perpetrator,” Wintrow said.

“Making the T-shirts gives survivors and victims the opportunity to share their stories, and that’s a part of the healing process. It also raises awareness in the community about real people being hurt.”

Wintrow said the project is symbolic of women exchanging information over the fence in the backyard while doing the laundry.

“Looking at the clothesline – and there’s nothing you could really hide – see everybody’s big bras hanging there, rips and stains…that was the initiative behind that whole project. This is something we don’t really talk about, and it’s important we break that silence,” Wintrow said.

200 volunteers are needed to march in homecoming parade on Friday, Oct. 4. Contact the Women’s Center at 426-4259.

Jessica Adams, The Arbiter

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