Red flags and blue flags were on display at the Free Speech Lawn yesterday in an exhibit that aimed to raise awareness of domestic abuse, which will continue today.
The Project SAFE and Cal State Long Beach Women’s Resource Center-sponsored exhibit displayed flags that represented two different signs of domestic abuse issues.
The red flags presented warning signs of potential abuse and the blue flags described positive signs of people reaching out to the abused.
“[This event] is to raise awareness and to provide information and resources for students, staff and faculty on abusive relationships,” said Lynne Coenen, assistant director of the Women’s Resource Center and coordinator of Project Safe.
Coenen has been working on projects like this at CSULB for the last 15 years.
Students will also have an opportunity to write their own messages on the blue flags, offering words of comfort and encouragement, contrasting the messages on the red flags.
Along with the flags, there were also relationship quizzes available to students.
The quizzes were structured to help give those taking it a new perspective on their relationship.
Quiz questions asked about acts of violence or anger that one has experienced in a relationship. The results determined the potential levels of abuse in the relationship.
The results were also accompanied with advice on what do in each particular situation.
A table was also set up with material to further inform students on all aspects on domestic violence. There were papers and pamphlets explaining how to recognize domestic violence, how to help someone who is being abused and hotline numbers provided by CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services) and Project SAFE.
According to Cameron Shibata, a psychology grad student, a woman is abused every nine seconds in the United States and 26 percent of girls in grades 9-12 have been the victim of physical abuse, sexual abuse or date-forced sex. Shibata added that 63 percent of boys aged 11-20 who commit homicide kill a man who is abusing their mother.
“Everyone can be affected by [abusive relationships],” Shibata said. “Men, women, lesbians, gays, it doesn’t have any boundaries. This is why it’s so important that people reach out.”
An additional display, The Clothesline Project Exhibit, will be set up on Wednesday and Thursday on the CBA lawn from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The weeklong project will conclude with a documentary in CBA 139 on Thursday called “Amy’s Story.”
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