Attendees at the Take Back the Night rally listen to speaker Amy Lee Paine. Photo by Nick Nelson/ The Dakota Student

More than 100 people turned out Oct. 15 to raise awareness for domestic violence prevention at UND.

Attendees of the Take Back the Night Rally sat amid T-shirts strung on cords in the Memorial Union Ballroom as part of the Clothesline Project exhibit on campus this past week.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the Take Back the Night Rally is put on every year to educate people about the issues surrounding domestic violence.

In 2014, 5,181 incidents of domestic violence were reported to crisis intervention centers in North Dakota, and at least 4,228 children were directly impacted by these incidents.

The Clothesline Project began 20 years ago with only 14 people attending the ceremony. It is an annual display of T-shirts and shawls,decorated by survivors of violence or by the loved ones of victims lost. The display featured different colored shirts hung up on clotheslines spanning the entire room. There are six colors of shirts, ranging from white, symbolizing those who have died, to red, which signifies children who have witnessed violence in their homes.

There were audible reminders of domestic violence that were playing during the Clothesline Project display. A gong signified a women being battered, a whistle signifies a reported rape and a bell is rung to indicate that a women has died as a result of personal violence. In the U.S. alone, a woman is killed every 10 to 12 minutes, according to statistics provided by the Clothesline Project.

The Take Back the Night Rally consisted of a few short speeches by various leaders in the UND community, including an introduction by Kay Mendick, the director of the Women’s Center at the UND campus.

“We can all do something every day to help those who have been affected by violence”, Mendick stressed to the audience.

The keynote speaker Amy Lee Peine is a survivor of multiple instances of personal violence. She travels to campuses all over the United States to tell her story. She has endured and survived childhood sexual abuse, two rapes, and a third assault. Her story shines light on the challenges victims of domestic abuse face. Throughout her speech, she spoke about her struggles with this issue and how she overcame her battles.

One important issue brought to attention during the event was the process of investigating a case of domestic violence. Peine talked about how the process can be just as cruel and stressful as the actual assault, with the multitude of questions and revealing of sensitive information without fully informing the victim.

This is an issue that advocates of domestic violence are currently working to try to resolve.  “Persecution doesn’t save a victim from years of emotional stress”, said Peine. She went on to describe how she was prescribed various drugs and put through therapy when she was just 13 years old. She is passionate about finding other ways to help victims successfully overcome their fears and come to terms with their experience.

Peine continues to write and offer her voice for change in the way domestic violence is prevented and treated. She has a book published that is titled Disillusioned Love, and is currently working on her memoir titled The Destruction of Lilacs. She said at the Take Back the Night Rally she wants to keep writing books based on her experiences because there is a shortage of books that shows the emotional side of assault and how it affects survivors, as opposed to the physical processes of investigation.

Peine’s goal is to use her own personal story in order to assist others who may have suffered through instances of domestic violence. Peine stressed that there are many ways to assist victims of domestic violence, whether it’s through family, friends, support groups, or therapy.

The UND Women’s Center is a resource available to all UND students and has many available programs to help victims of assault. The Women’s Center can be contacted at 701-777-4300 and more information can be found at und.edu/student-life/womens-center.

Journey Gontjes is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected]