Clothesline Project 2011
T-Shirts on display during the event
Did you know? About 1 in 5 women and 1 in 100 men have told their VA healthcare provider that they experienced Military Sexual Trauma (MST).
In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness month in April, VA Boston is hosting its 3rd annual Clothesline Project: a visual display to raise awareness about sexual assault and sexual harassment that occurred while a veteran was in the military. We invite male and female Veterans to ‘break the silence’ by designing shirts that reflect their experience of MST or other sexual trauma. Designing a shirt allows veterans to speak up about what they may have previously kept silent. Completed shirts are hung side-by-side to bear witness to the impact sexual violence has had on their lives.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is committed to addressing sexual violence because we know that trauma can have lasting effects on a person’s physical and mental health. We also know that effective treatments exist to help people can recover from trauma. Although rates of MST are higher among women, there are comparable numbers of men and women seen in VA who experienced MST, due to the greater number of men in the military.
VA has free services available to help veterans recover from the effects of MST. Veterans do not need to be service connected (have a VA disability rating) and may be able to receive this benefit even if they are not eligible for other VA care. Veterans do not need to have reported the sexual trauma when it happened or have other documentation that it occurred.
When: April 26-28, 2011 10:00-2:00pm
Where: Brockton Campus, Building 3, 2nd floor and
Jamaica Plain Campus, main floor lobby (near the information desk)
This year there will also be an information session
from 1:00-2:00 each day.
Please join us to learn more about MST and VA Boston services available.
To learn more or to RSVP for the information session please contact Sofia Reddy, LICSW, MST Coordinator for VA Boston Healthcare System at (774) 826-1303.
