Drawing the Line Against Sexual Violence
by: Nicole Eley and Lindsey Henley

In a silent room of painful memories, a woman sits holding a paintbrush as her only comfort.  A tee shirt has become her canvas, and every brush stroke tells a story of distress, anger and grief… a story of sexual violence and assault. 

For 11 years, a handful of local women’s advocates have brought a powerful testimony of sexual violence to Virginia Tech through the “Clothesline Project.” For one week during the fall and spring, victims of  sexual violence can attend an anonymous workshop to create a shirt that will tell their story.  These shirts are hung side by side on a clothesline stretching across the campus Drillfield.  They symbolize a united army of victims taking a stand against violence according to Susan Anderson, faculty advisor to Womanspace and chief coordinator for the Clothesline Project Display. 
 
“It’s a visual testimony to the violence that has happened to women in this community,” Anderson said.  “Each of the shirts tells the truth as a survivor knows it.”

This past week, Womanspace added to a collection of more than 400 multi-colored T-shirts.  The shirts are color-coded to symbolize the type of violence committed:  white for those who have died of violence, yellow or beige for women who have been battered or assaulted; red, pink, or orange for those raped or sexually assaulted; blue or green for survivors of incest or child sexual abuse; purple or lavender for women attacked because of their sexual orientations; and black for women handicapped by violence.

“When you look at the shirts that represent each person, it can be overwhelming,” Anderson said.  “It just goes to show that violence cuts across all age groups, all socioeconomic classes, all races, and all religions.”

Anderson said the Clothesline Project hopes to raise community awareness of violence against women, but it is also part of the healing process. 

“This can be a way for them [victims] to give voice to their experience and educate the community in a safe environment,” said Christine Dennis Smith, assistant director at the Virginia Tech Women’s Center. 

This was true for Victoria, a victim of sexual assault and participant in the Clothesline Project, who wishes her last name not be used to protect her privacy. 

While on a cruise with her family the summer before her senior year in high school, Victoria was sexually assaulted by a man she met on the cruise. 

“The whole experience seemed a little bit unbelievable,” she said.  “People watched him force himself on me—not willing to say or do anything.”

Weeks later, Victoria’s continued panic attacks brought her to seek the aid of a local religious leader.  The man Victoria turned to for help told her that it was her responsibility as a woman to control her perpetrator, and said that the situation was her fault.  Victoria carried this blame with her for years.  As her anxiety grew, she began to believe that the assault was her fault.

Almost four years later, Victoria became involved with the Clothesline Project at Virginia Tech through Womanspace. 

“It was a way to admit to myself what had happened,” she said.  “It made me realize I needed to heal.”

Victoria is not alone.  In the 2004, the Uniform Crime Report released by the Federal Bureau of Intelligence documented a 1.4% increase of forcible rape cases in cities with population’s between 25,000 and 49,000; roughly the size of Blacksburg.  Local Police statistics document percentages larger than the national increase.  The number of rape cases filed by Blacksburg Police between January and October 2003 jumped from one to six by October 2004.  The current number of rape cases filed in Blacksburg since January 2005 stands at three. 

“It happens more than any one of us would like to imagine,” said Pat Brown, Executive Director of The Women’s Resource Center for the New River Valley, Inc.  “In general, we’re educated that 1 in 4 women will experience sexual assault in her lifetime.  It happens plenty.”

Blacksburg Crime Prevention Officer, Sgt. Jerry Bowyer, said the Police Department would continue their efforts to decrease instances of sexual assault and violence through public awareness and education.  

The Department offers free printed materials about the laws, facts, and statistics surrounding sexual violence against women and men.  Their Victim/Witness Assistance program provides on-the-scene information to victims and witnesses regarding counseling, compensation, medical facilities, case-processing and victim advocacy.  Officers often make periodic check-ups on victims and keep witnesses up-to-date on their case.

In the event of a sexual assault or rape, Bowyer stressed the importance of coming forward.

“Victims need not be afraid to tell us that they need assistance,” said Bowyer.  “If we get a call, we’re going to do everything in our power to bring the perpetrator to justice and get the victim the assistance they need, or both.”

Bowyer added that one of the most important parts of the healing process was telling someone, even if that person was not a police officer.

According to Brown, one source that victims can turn to is the Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley.  They have a 24-hour hotline for victims to report emergencies, offer counseling, shelter, and transitional housing among other services. 

“We consider ourselves part of a community that’s working to create a zero tolerance for sexual assault,” said Brown. 

Together, the Virginia Tech Women’s Center, the Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley, the Blacksburg Police Department, and Womanspace continue to raise awareness and draw the line against sexual violence. 

“We are a community working on crime,” said Brown.