In an attempt to provide awareness and help prevent domestic violence, students involved with the Student Leaders in Civic Engagement (SLICE) program through the Thayne Center for Service and Learning have set up the Silent Witness Display as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
The Silent Witness Project display features women, men, and children here in Utah who have been victims of domestic violence and subsequently lost their lives.
“Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the United States,” says Linnie Spor, the Service Leadership Coordinator with The Thayne Center. “It is more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined.”
Spor, along with the student participants of SLICE, works closely with the YWCA and West Valley City, which has the highest rate of domestic violence occurrences in the state of Utah, to bring awareness to domestic violence and help others understand how to prevent it.
“Most women don’t know that they are being abused domestically, they think it is just how things are,” says student and SLICE member Cade Taylor. “For people to learn, for me to show them, that this is domestic violence and the signs of it – hopefully the numbers can decrease.”
Within the display, there are descriptions of the names and stories associated with some of the victims. The purpose of the stories are to help educate students in regards to what domestic violence looks like.
The Silent Witness display will show from Oct. 1 to Oct. 15 on the second floor of the Markosian Library at Taylorsville Redwood Campus and from from Oct. 20 to Oct. 30 on the second floor of the Media Center at South City Campus.
If you or someone you know is in need of help with domestic violence, here are several resources for help.
