Silent Witnesses: Remember their names
In a stark reminder about the worst effects of domestic violence, red life-sized silhouettes flank the lawn in front of the Campus Center. Each bears a wooden shield with the name of a woman, her age and the date of her brutal death at the hands of a violent offender.
One by one, their stories of abuse and homicide were read Monday afternoon by students, faculty and staff. Most of the women were from northwest Ohio – Toledo, Defiance, Bowling Green, Clyde, Sandusky, Norwalk, Port Clinton. They ranged in age from 14 to 48.The national Silent Witness program, founded in 1990, made a return to campus as a way to raise awareness and ultimately, put an end to domestic violence through education, said Reetha Perananamgam, interim vice president for Student Affairs.
In addition to the silhouettes, the campus also is displaying the Clothesline Project, which contains T-shirts with anti-domestic violence messages, many of them aimed at protecting the youngest victims, our children.
Reetha said she was proud of the event this year because it was a team effort between Heidelberg Peer Educators and men’s fraternity Alpha Phi Tau, who provided logistical assistance and painted the silhouettes.
“I encourage you to play a role in educating and empowering,” Reetha said in concluding the program. “And remember the silent witnesses.”
Through this week, the campus is collecting donations for Open Arms Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services in Findlay.
The awareness campaign continues on Friday as HOPE sponsors “Take Back the Night,” a program designed to prevent and raise awareness about violence and sexual assault. The event will be held from 6-10 p.m. at Columbian High School.
Junior Zaia Thombre, who’s chairing the event, wants the event to extend beyond Heidelberg and into the Tiffin community. “While this program specifically highlights issues dealing with violence against women, it speaks to the needs and ability of every day citizens. Not only does ‘Take Back the Night’ bring to the surface issues that we can attend to, but also begins to change not only the culture of our world but that of others as well,” she said.
Both the Silent Witness silhouettes and the Clothesline Project will be part of the event. The event also will feature a resource fair, a rally with poetry music and skits from Heidelberg and Tiffin University students, followed by a mile march through Tiffin’s streets. Participants will return to Columbian for a women’s speak-out session and a men’s ally session.
One interesting component of the program will be the “Beads for Life” program. Heidelberg students have promoted the program which benefits Ugandan women who have crafted beads and jewelry from recycled paper to support themselves and their families. The jewelry will be on sale from 6-7:30 p.m.
Posted on March 31, 2009