2,000 T-Shirts Designed By Sex Abuse Survivors Displayed In Bergen County

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — How many women and families have been impacted by sexual abuse and violence? 2,000 t-shirts tell part of the story.

The YWCA Northern New Jersey hosted 31st Anniversary Clothesline Project last Wednesday in Hackensack, displaying shirts created by survivors, families, and advocates sharing experiences of sexual violence and healing.

With the allegations of systematic abuse by millionaire Jeffrey Epstein and figures in government and pop culture in the news, the event — held during Sexual Assault Awareness Month — helps survivors of rape and abuse express their experiences in their own words.

This year, a dedicated section honored women veterans through the YWCA’s Operation Sisterhood program, highlighting concerns about undereporting in military communities.

YWCA Northern New Jersey CEO Helen Archontou said, "This display is a testament, this is a visual reminder that behind every single shirt that is hanging here, there is a person, and there is an experience that they went through ... This is a person's life, and that person's life has been impacted by sexual violence, that person's life has been impacted by gender-based violence."

"It's really important that we hear survivors, support survivors, listen to survivors, and wrap around them to be able to trauma informed care so that they can heal."

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