“Stop Violence” and “Keep Us Safe” are a few of the phrases currently draped above downtown Campbell River.
These words are printed across T-shirts, decorated by those who’ve faced abuse. They’re hanging from the balconies of Rose Harbour as part of ‘The Clothesline Project.’
The Campbell River and North Island Transition Society (CRNITS) says the project comes just in time for Prevention of Violence Against Women Week, which runs annually from April 11th to 17th.
‘The Clothesline Project,’ hosted locally by the society, was first launched in the U.S. back in 1990 as a way for women affected by violence to express their emotions and experience.
“The shirt is then hung on a clothesline to be viewed by others, as testimony to the problem of violence against women,” the CRNITS explains. “It’s a display of the society’s ‘dirty laundry’ that aims to take the issue of violence against women out of the shadows.”
Rose Harbour, located at 1116 Dogwood Street, is the second-stage housing provided by the society.
It notes the shirts may be a statement against any kind of violence, or a statement of hope for the future: “Blue and red T-shirts represent sexual abuse, yellow or beige T-shirts represent abuse by a partner, white T-shirts represent murder, purple T-shirts represent assault because of sexual orientation, and green T-shirts represent children who have been affected by violence.”
The CRNITS says the project’s goal – working hand in hand with Prevention of Violence Against Women Week – is to spark discussion within the community and reflect on the violence many women have faced.
“Living without violence is a basic human right, but studies show that 760,000 or four per cent of Canadians over the age of 15 have experienced abuse from an intimate partner,” it adds. “Women are more likely than men to experience severe and frequent violence from a spouse or someone they are dating.”
If you’re in an abusive relationship, the society says confidential help is available. Call Ann Elmore Transition House at (250) 286-3666, or send a text to (250) 895-1773. You can also reach out to Community-Based Victim Services at (250) 287-2421.
