More than 100 T-shirts designed to tell the stories of domestic violence victims were displayed Thursday at North Campus for Sexual Assault Awareness Week.
The T-shirts were part of the Clothesline Project, which started in 1990.
Margie Lang, deputy director of the Governor's Office of Victim Advocacy, said the project was made so people could see the prevalence of violence against women.
"It's really the victims' personal message to the public of how that domestic violence has affected them," she said.
Lang developed the New Mexico chapter of the project last year.
She sent out T-shirts to 18 shelters around the state.
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"Often, women who are experiencing domestic violence will leave for a time and live somewhere else with their children," said Janelle Heimberger, who is a first-year medical student at UNM and chairwoman of the Women's Health Action Committee.
Heimberger said the event was aimed at medical students.
"Pharmacy students, nursing students, med students and also the doctors who educate us need to be aware of the issue and also know how and where to refer people if they are experiencing these issues," Heimberger said.
Representatives from ENLACE and the Rape Crisis Center of Central New Mexico were also at the event.
Lang said the Governor's Office of Victim Advocacy also refers victims to support services.
"It's really important that victims of crime get services, even if it's not reported," Lang said. "We'd like them to report it, but that might not be the best for everybody."
Lang said one in four women in New Mexico have been victims of rape or attempted rape, but only 6 percent of them file criminal charges, and only 45 percent of those charges result in a conviction.
"The message is to get it out there, because the public may not be aware of the magnitude of domestic violence or sexual assault crimes, because many times they're not reported," Lang said. "The whole idea is to get the message to people that there are services available. You do not have to be the victim of any crime and suffer alone."
