Clothesline Project

The History of the Clothesline Project

"Bearing Witness to Violence Against Women"

The Clothesline Project (CLP) is a program started on Cape Cod, MA, in 1990 to address the issue of violence against women. It is a vehicle for women affected by violence to express their emotions by decorating a shirt. They then hang the shirt on a clothesline to be viewed by others as testimony to the problem of violence against women.

At Sexual Assault Services of Calhoun County, our version of the Clothesline Project reflects the experiences and feelings of our clients as well as some staff and volunteers. Our clients often tell us how powerful it is to use the shirts to give voice to the trauma of sexual violence in their lives.