The Monument Quilt is an enormous quilt made as a memorial for survivors of rape. The quilt includes a collection of survivors' stories stitched, written, and painted onto red fabric.
The Monument Quilt is an enormous quilt made as a memorial for survivors of rape. The quilt includes a collection of survivors' stories stitched, written, and painted onto red fabric.
The quilt includes over 3,000 stories by rape and abuse survivors and incorporates the stories of those who have experienced gender-based violence. [1] [2] [3] The quilt was constructed over six years as organizers traveled to 49 states and 33 cities in the U.S. and Mexico, where parts of the quilt were displayed. Visitors were invited to share their stories on designated blank squares when the quilt was on display. [4] The project culminated in a display of the entire quilt on National Mall in Washington, D.C., from May 31 to June 2, 2019. [5] The quilt was constructed to read “Not Alone” and a Spanish translation, “No Estás Solx.” [2]
The project's organizers paid special attention to the inclusion of stories from survivors in marginalized communities: women of color, trans and gender non-conforming folks, sex workers, First Nation communities, and child sexual abuse survivors. [6] One of the project leaders, Liz Ensz, explained in an interview that the multiplicity of narratives was a driving force for the Monument Quilt: “It’s about presenting these other narratives that men can be survivors of rape and sexual assault, women can be perpetrators, any story can exist. There’s not just one narrative.” [7]
The idea for the quilt originated with Rebecca Nagle and Hannah Brancato, artists based in Baltimore, Maryland. [8] Having seen research that showed how public monuments, such as memorials for war veterans, could help survivors recover from trauma, they set out to create a monument for the survivors of rape. [4] They co-founded and co-direct the arts and activist organization FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture. [8] As a call to create a permanent monument, FORCE coordinated the installation of temporary monuments to rape and abuse survivors on the National Mall in Washington D.C. Their first "guerilla monument" in 2013 involved floating lines from a poem in the form of giant, red styrofoam letters on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. [9] The poem's lines read "I CAN'T FORGET WHAT HAPPENED BUT NO ONE ELSE REMEMBERS". [10]
FORCE partnered with public safety organizations and community-based prevention groups who held quilt-making workshops and displayed portions of the quilt in public spaces. [4] The quilt toured the United States in the summer of 2014. Starting at Arden, North Carolina, the quilt traveled to 13 cities. [8]
In June 2015, the Monument Quilt was awarded part of the PNC Transformative Art Prize a $30,000 grant for display of the quilt in the autumn. [11]
The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) is an American nonprofit anti-sexual assault organization, the largest in the United States. RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline, as well as the Department of Defense Safe Helpline, and carries out programs to prevent sexual assault, help survivors, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice through victim services, public education, public policy, and consulting services.
The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, often abbreviated to AIDS Memorial Quilt or AIDS Quilt, is a memorial to celebrate the lives of people who have died of AIDS-related causes. Weighing an estimated 54 tons, it is the largest piece of community folk art in the world as of 2020. It was conceived in 1985, during the early years of the AIDS pandemic, when social stigma prevented many AIDS victims from receiving funerals. It has been displayed on the Mall in Washington, D.C. several times. In 2020, it returned to the AIDS Memorial in San Francisco, and can also be seen virtually.
Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence that includes child sexual abuse, groping, rape, drug facilitated sexual assault), and the torture of the person in a sexual manner.
Comfort women or comfort girls were women and girls forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army in occupied countries and territories before and during World War II. The term "comfort women" is a translation of the Japanese ianfu (慰安婦), which literally means "comforting, consoling woman". During World War II, Japanese troops forced hundreds of thousands of women from Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam, China, and other countries into brothels where they were sexually enslaved and repeatedly raped. Many women died or committed suicide due to brutal mistreatment and sustained physical and emotional distress. After the war, Japan's acknowledgment of the comfort women's plight was minimal, lacking a full apology and appropriate restitution, which damaged Japan's reputation in Asia for decades.
Some victims of rape or other sexual violence incidents are male. It is estimated that approximately one in six men were sexually abused as children. Historically, rape was thought to be, and defined as, a crime committed solely against females. This belief is still held in some parts of the world, but rape of males is now commonly criminalized and has been subject to more discussion than in the past.
Sexual violence is any sexual act or attempt to obtain a sexual act by violence or coercion, act to traffic a person, regardless of the relationship to the victim. It occurs in times of peace and armed conflict situations, is widespread, and is considered to be one of the most traumatic, pervasive, and most common human rights violations.
A rape kit or rape test kit is a package of items used by medical personnel for gathering and preserving physical evidence following an allegation of sexual assault. The evidence collected from the victim can aid the criminal rape investigation and the prosecution of a suspected assailant. DNA evidence can have tremendous utility for sexual assault investigations and prosecution by identifying offenders, revealing serial offenders through DNA matches across cases, and exonerating those who have been wrongly accused.
Rape by gender classifies types of rape by the sex and/or gender of both the rapist and the victim. This scope includes both rape and sexual assault more generally. Most research indicates that rape affects women disproportionately, with the majority of people convicted being men; however, since the broadening of the definition of rape in 2012 by the FBI, more attention is being given to male rape, including females raping males.
Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assault against a small child, whereas sexual abuse is a term used for a persistent pattern of sexual assaults.
Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person who is incapable of giving valid consent, such as one who is unconscious, incapacitated, has an intellectual disability, or is below the legal age of consent. The term rape is sometimes used interchangeably with the term sexual assault.
Intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) deals with sexual violence within the context of domestic violence. Intimate partner sexual violence is defined by any unwanted sexual contact or activity by an intimate partner in order to control an individual through fear, threats, or violence. Women are the primary victims of this type of violence.
Angela Rose is an American activist known for helping other survivors heal from trauma. Her story of being kidnapped and sexually assaulted by Robert Koppa at age 17 in 1996 in Wauconda, Illinois has been widely publicized. She is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit PAVE: Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment.
The rate of sexual violence in South Africa is among the highest recorded in the world. During 2015/16, there were 51,895 crimes of a sexual nature reported to the South African Police Service.
Rape in the United States is defined by the United States Department of Justice as "Penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim." While definitions and terminology of rape vary by jurisdiction in the United States, the FBI revised its definition to eliminate a requirement that the crime involve an element of force.
Campus sexual assault is the sexual assault, including rape, of a student while attending an institution of higher learning, such as a college or university. The victims of such assaults are more likely to be female, but any gender can be victimized. Estimates of sexual assault, which vary based on definitions and methodology, generally find that somewhere between 19 and 27% of college women and 6–8% of college men are sexually assaulted during their time in college.
The Clothesline Project is an American non-governmental organization created to bring awareness to the issue of violence against women men and children. For those who have been affected by violence, it is a means of expressing their emotions by decorating a t-shirt. After the shirts have been decorated, they are hung on a clothesline display. The intention of the display is to honor survivors and act as a memorial for victims. It is also intended to aid in the healing process for those who were directly affected and those who have lost someone special to violence. Lastly, the clothesline display is to educate society and promote awareness, as well as to document violent crimes against women.
Violence against women in India refers to physical or sexual violence committed against a woman, typically by a man. Common forms of violence against women in India include acts such as domestic abuse, sexual assault, and murder. In order to be considered violence against women, the act must be committed solely because the victim is female. Most typically, these acts are committed by men as a result of the long-standing gender inequalities present in the country.
The manosphere is a collection of websites, blogs, and online forums promoting masculinity, misogyny, and opposition to feminism. Communities within the manosphere include men's rights activists, incels, Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW), pick-up artists (PUA), and fathers' rights groups.
Rebecca Nagle is an American activist, writer and public speaker. She is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Nagle is one of the founders of FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture, an organization led by artists and activists who attempt to promote a culture of consent. Nagle was also a coordinator of the event "PINK Loves CONSENT."
Rape Crisis Scotland is a charity which provides a national rape crisis helpline and email support for anyone affected by sexual violence, no matter when or how it happened. There are 17 local centres across Scotland.
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