BY JENNIFER HALLEY CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR
Every nine seconds in the U.S., a woman is abused by her partner; one in three women worldwide are involved in domestic violence relationships; and every year, nearly 1600 women were murdered by their intimate partners.
Sexual and domestic violence does not just happen to women, though; this affects men, too.
Take Back the Night, an event organized by Abby’s House, gave voice to survivors of sexual and domestic violence on Wednesday night in the Werner Center.
“In 2013, in Oregon, there were 34 domestic
violence fatalities. That’s a huge number of
people for one state; imagine the global effect.”
DEBORAH THOMPSON
DIRECTOR OF SABLE HOUSE
Every October, in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, survivors come forth and tell their story in a safe place, as well as raise awareness throughout campus.
Jenna Beresheim, a senior who was at the event, said that sexual assault is a problem on campus “but one that is swept under the rug by victims who blame themselves or feel ashamed and embarrassed.
“This is a hot topic right now in schools,” Beresheim added.
Deborah Thompson, executive director of Sable House – a resource center for victims of domestic and sexual assault – gave an educational speech about “violence against humanity” and how sexual and domestic violence is an epidemic that is spreading globally.
“In 2013, in Oregon, there were 34 domestic violence fatalities,” Thompson said. She paused briefly, and then added: “That’s a huge number of people for one state; imagine the global effect.”
After the speech, the room went quiet for 30 minutes while a gong was hit every nine seconds to represent each time a woman was abused by her partner.
During this silence, audience members were encouraged to speak up about their personal experiences.
While they spoke, the room became heavy with emotion as people cried. Abby’s House advocates offered tissues and hand-squeezes.
As time went on, more people spoke up as the gong went off in the background. More tears were shed and more voices were heard.
The lack of men at the event was noticed, specifically by the men themselves that had participated in the event.
“I think it is vital for men to be a part of this issue,” Cody Bindrim, one of the men, who came to Take Back the Night, said. Bindrim is a sophomore at Oregon State University, but came to support his friend and be a part of this cause.
Gage Barnhurstd also came as a supporter of the event. As a man, he also believes he should take responsibility for sexual violence towards women.
“It makes me embarrassed,” he said of being associated with the perpetrators of sexual and domestic violence. Barnhurstd added that a man’s basic instinct is to protect a woman. So “if you have a drive
to protect, why not use it?” he said.
Take Back the Night ended with a candlelit walk around campus to remember those affected by sexual and domestic violence, and to take a stance against it.
Students also carried a mattress around in honor of sexual assault victim Emma Sulkowicz, a student at Columbia who felt as though her university’s response of doing nothing to penalize her perpetrator was wrong. Sulkowicz vowed to carry that mattress to each class until her attacker was expelled.
Throughout the candlelit walk, students chanted statements such as “Yes means yes, no means no,” and “we are women, we are men, together we fight to take back the night.”
