Events raise domestic violence awareness

Through the end of October, the University of Wisconsin–Madison community will examine the issues of relationship violence as part of Domestic Abuse Awareness Month.

“Many people believe that intimate partner violence is something that happens elsewhere,” says Daña Alder, campus community partnerships team manager at University Health Services (UHS). “But it happens on every college campus as well, and student activism is key to confronting the issue.”

On Thursday, Oct. 21, two UW groups will partner with Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS) to raise awareness on the issue. Promoting Awareness Victims Empowerment (PAVE), the Campus Women’s Center (CWC) and DAIS will display the Clothesline Project on Bascom Hill from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

The Clothesline Project is a collection of T-shirts decorated by survivors of domestic violence. These powerful, personal statements use brief text and images to convey complex stories of abuse. The installation features 150 feet of T-shirts recognizing victims of domestic abuse.

In addition, a colloquium on how Wisconsin can address domestic violence will be held Thursday, Oct. 28, from 4-5 p.m. in the auditorium of the Wisconsin Historical Society, 816 State St.

Patti Seger, policy development coordinator for the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence, will examine new policy options and strategies for fighting domestic violence in Wisconsin.

“One of the things I will discuss is the impact of domestic violence on the self-sufficiency of women in Wisconsin,” Seger says. “I will talk about the gains we’ve made and what’s left to be done to ensure the prosperity of victims of domestic violence.”

Her presentation is part of the Wisconsin Women = Prosperity Project, a nonpartisan, statewide initiative directed by Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton to improve the status of women and to drive economic growth for Wisconsin by increasing the women’s success.

The project has its roots in The Status of Women in the States, a biennial state-by-state comparison co-published by the Women’s Fund of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and the Institute for Women’s Policy Research in Washington, D.C. In 2002, the report gave Wisconsin an overall grade of C-minus for the quality of life for women in the state.

The colloquium is sponsored by the Center for Public Policy and the Status of Women, an effort of the Women’s Studies Research Center and the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs.

For information on the colloquium, contact Terry Shelton, (608) 262-3038, shelton@lafollette.wisc.edu. For information, see the Wisconsin Women = Prosperity Project Web site.