Silent demonstration part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Members of the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance laid in chalk “murder scene” outlines Tuesday on Pendleton Street Bridge to raise awareness about domestic violence and support passage of the International Violence Against Women Act.
Sarah Baugher, president of the organization, said the U.S. remains the only industrialized country that hasn’t signed the bill, even though it helped craft it.
“When one in three women are affected by violence worldwide, it’s ridiculous,” Baugher said.
The bodies of FMLA members were covered with signs that told stories of domestic abuse from across the country. One read “R.I.P. Jennifer Wilson.” Wilson was a USC education professor who was stabbed to death in September, allegedly at the hands of an ex-boyfriend.
The silent demonstration also recognized October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
“It’s kind of a wake-up call to get people to realize that domestic violence is a huge problem and we should be protecting our women,” Baugher said.