By Madeline Higdon, Staff writer

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and during April, for the past ten years, The Haven, an organization dedicated to the sheltering and protection of sexual assault victims, has set up a display between West Hall and Nevins Hall on VSU campus to fight against the question of: “What were you wearing?” 

 One thing that sexual assault victims face when they report their attack(s) is being discredited. They are asked what they were wearing during the time of the incident, inferring that whoever is asking this question believes that the victim’s clothing could have caused them to provoke their assaulter. 

 “Sexual assault is about power and control over somebody, not the clothes that they had on,” said Taylor Strickland, The Haven volunteer and project organizer.  

 With “The Clothesline Project,” The Haven debunks this offensive question.  

 “This exhibit aims to dispel the myth that clothing invites sexual assault,” the sign at the entrance reads.“We invite you to explore the stories and outfits of local survivors, highlighting that clothing is irrelevant to sexual assault.”  

 On both sides of the walking path between West Hall and Nevins Hall, a variety of outfits are strung up on a clothesline, and an anonymous victim account is hung alongside it. These victim accounts are all from VSU students, highlighting just how local these stories are.  

 “The Clothesline Project” is set up annually on campus, during the first week of April. The exhibit was set up initially on April 7, and it will be up until April 9.  

 At the information table, there is an array of informational pamphlets – which provide helpful advice about being safe while dating as a teen, information about sheltering, and even information about providing legal advocacy for victims. There are also advertising flyers, as well as informational sheets and mini incident notebooks. All of the informational papers are available in both English and Spanish.  

 “No matter where they are in their journey, we’re going to help them; we’re going to see them. They don’t have to report, they just have to see us,” said Evie King, VSU alumni and The Haven volunteer.  

 At the table, the group also advertises their “Jeans4Justice” T-Shirts. These shirts are $12 for VSU students and $25 for non-students.  

 The shirts are sold in support of “Denim Day,” which is held on April 24 annually. This holiday is a show of solidarity for when a 16-year-old Italian girl was molested by her driving instructor, and the court granted her rapist freedom due to the fact that “her jeans were too tight,” and that “she would have needed to assist in taking them off,” which they argued was her consenting.  

 Alongside the T-Shirts, The Haven also advertises for an annual bunco night, weekly percentage nights at restaurants like Culver’s, Chipotle, and Mellow Mushroom; luxury purse auctions; and silent auctions. All money raised from fundraisers by The Haven go directly toward their sexual assault response center, which is the first place of contact that those seeking help will come across.  

 The Valdosta Haven’s website has multiple resources and educational posts as well. There are ways to contact the shelter, information about volunteering and open positions, and risk reduction tips, which share helpful tips on how to reduce the risk of being raped or sexually assaulted. The shelter’s address is not openly available, so those seeking help must contact the provided phone number for help.  

 There is also an “SOS” button, which takes the viewer to YouTube if any content on the website becomes too emotionally distressing to handle.  

 With displays like “The Clothesline Project,” spectators are meant to feel discomfort, as these displays show the truth behind just how atrociously common victim blaming has become.  

 Rapists cause rape. It is not clothing, not inebriation, not flirting, not “obligation.” Unwanted sexual contact can happen to anyone at any age at any time.  

 If you, a loved one, or someone you know has experienced sexual assault or rape, please visit Valdostahaven.org for help, shelter, or tips on what to do next.