The YWCA Greater Harrisburg (Pa.) started a Silent Witness Project 10 years ago to increase awareness of domestic violence. The witnesses are free-standing, life-sized red wooden figures, each bearing a gold shield with the name of a victim who died at the hands of her abuser.
The association currently has 18 witnesses, representing Dauphin County’s murdered victims. In addition, there are two extra figures that stand for the unaccounted woman and the unaccounted man who were domestic violence victims but were never identified as such because of their silence.
Sally Krasevic, director of the YWCA’s Violence Intervention & Prevention Programs, said the Silent Witness Project has been effective and emotive. Some of the shields have pictures of victims. “When a victim is killed, we have the family members come in and we do a dedication ceremony. It’s very moving.”
The YWCA Greater Harrisburg has organized a number of activities for the YWCA Week Without Violence, October 15 to 21, 2006.
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