Clothesline Project

What is the Clothesline Project?
Designing a Shirt for the Clothesline
Looking For a Place to Make a Shirt?
Why Should I Get Involved?
How do I get involved if I have not personally experienced violence against women?
Please Note

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What is The UCLA Clothesline Project?

The UCLA Clothesline Project is a national project. It serves as a visual depiction of violence against women, bearing witness to this serious problem within our communities. The project consists of color-coded shirts created by sexual violence survivors and/or their significant others who have directly and personally experienced the effects of sexual violence.

Established in 1990 by the Cape Cod Women's Agenda in Hyannis, MA the Clothesline Project has four stated goals:

  1. To bear witness to the survivors and to "remember" those who have died as a result of violence against women.
  2. To help with the healing process for those who have directly and personally been effected by violence against women.
  3. To educate, document, and raise society's awareness of the extent of the problem of violence against women.
  4. To provide a nationwide network of support, encouragement, and information for other communities starting their own Clothesline Projects.

The UCLA Clothesline Project is a student run organization and the garments are displayed for 3 days in the Spring every year on the UCLA campus. Please participate in the UCLA Clothesline Project and other activities of this student group by emailing uclacp@ucla.edu.

Designing a Shirt for the Clothesline

Taking the opportunity to express your feelings by creating a shirt for the Clothesline Project can help you in your healing process. Survivors of sexual violence need not be artists to create a moving personal tribute. Whether you choose to use paint, magic markers or elaborate embroidery to create your shirt is up to you. The power is in the personal.

Looking For a Place to Make a Shirt?
If you want to make a shirt, but do not have the supplies or are looking for a supportive environment, the UCLA Center for Women & Men is open from:
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Monday- Friday

UCLA students, staff or faculty are encouraged to come by and make your shirt.

Why Should I Get Involved?
  • Sexual assault remains one of the most prevalent forms of violence on college campuses, yet 90% of the assaults will go unreported and only 1% to 2% of the assailants are ever prosecuted (National Victim Cnt, 93)
  • If every woman victimized by dating/domestic violence last year were to join hands in a line the string of people would span from New York to Los Angeles and back again (Senate Judiciary Committee, 90)
  • 1 in 15 rape victims contracts a sexually transmitted disease as result of the victimization (Koss, Woodruff & Koss, 90)
  • More than ½ of raped college women tell no one of their victimization (Koss, Woodruff & Koss, 90)
  • 84% of those raped knew their attacker. 57% of rapes occur on dates (Koss survey, 93)
  • 44% of women who have been raped have thought about suicide. 19% have actually attempted suicide (Koss, 93)
  • 50% of all homeless women and children in this country are fleeing domestic violence (Sheehan, 93)
  • Domestic violence accounts for as much as 40% of all LAPD calls (Chief Williams, LAPD, 94)
  • At least one woman a week dies in LA County as a result of dating or domestic violence (LA Times, 95)
  • If a full jumbo jet crashed into a mountain killing everyone on board, and if that happened every month, month in and month out, the number of people killed still would not equal the number of women murdered by their husbands and boyfriends each year (Gavin DeBecker, 97)
  • Last year, the number of women abused by their husbands was greater than the number of women who got married (State Judiciary Committee, 90)
  • Nearly 50% of abusive boyfriends/husbands batter their female partner when they are pregnant, making them 4 times more likely to bear infants of low birth weight (Senate Judiciary Committee, 90)
  • Violence in gay/lesbian relationships occur at about the same frequency as violence in heterosexual relationships (Renzetti, 92)
  • 38% of girls are sexually abused before the age of 18 (Center Against Sexual Abuse, 97)
  • 1 in 8 boys will be sexually abused by the time they turn 18 years old (US Department of Justice, 92)

How do I get involved if I have not personally experienced violence against women?

The UCLA Clothesline Project needs you. Raising awareness and educating our community about sexual violence is a huge endeavor... "breaking the silence" is an important step toward ending violence against women. Addressing the denial that often exists about this issue is no small task. It is important for women and men not to be afraid or embarrassed about confronting "victim blaming" comments such as: "she deserved it, after all she was drunk; she's so stupid to stay with him; she must like the abuse; guys can't be raped; boys will be boys." Sometimes confronting these attitudes is the most challenging thing one can do. Taking a stance against violence toward women is an important part of ending violence. We encourage you to share information about the Clothesline Project with friends and colleagues. The Center for Women & Men will be more than happy to share with you and/or your organization on how to best coordinate a shirt-making bee or to sponsor a Clothesline display.


Please note:
All materials submitted to the project become the sole property of the UCLA Clothesline Project and cannot be returned or reclaimed by the sender.

We recognize that "naming" a perpetrator is very important to the healing process. However, for legal reasons, we cannot display shirts with the full name of a perpetrator. You may use initials or a first name only.