The NC State Women’s Center held its annual “These Hands Don’t Hurt” event on Wednesday at Stafford Commons, inviting students to add their handprint to a banner to make a pledge to support relationship nonviolence.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the event is a way for students to gain awareness about violence in relationships and make a stand against it. “These Hands Don’t Hurt” is just one of many events that the Women’s Center has going on this month, according to Sara Forcella, who is the rape prevention education coordinator for the organization.
Along with allowing students to make a pledge against nonviolence, the event also focuses on informing students of the violence that can exist in relationships. The Women’s Center also uses the event to let students know what resources are available to them if they are struggling with violence in a relationship.
“The event asks students to paint their hands and place their handprints on a tarp to pledge to not commit acts of violence against intimate partners,” Forcella said. “We will also have a table with information about healthy relationships and resources for students who may be dealing with relationship violence.”
Relationship violence is a real threat to members of the NC State community, according to Forcella. She emphasized that it can happen to any member of the community, regardless of their sex, gender identity, sexuality or race.
For young women especially, this is a relevant and threatening problem on a college campus, according to Forcella.
“Statistics show that women between the ages of 18 and 24 are the most at risk of being in a relationship where violence is occurring,” Forcella said. “Being aware of the issue is just a starting point. It’s important that students at State know how to name relationship violence, be active bystanders and support survivors within our community.”
Bringing awareness to this issue and making a public pledge to nonviolence is important according to Meron Habtemariam, a senior studying business administration who added her handprint to the banner.
Habtemariam has been involved with the Women’s Center since her freshman year. She talked about how important the center is to the campus and how the center makes an impact on the lives of students in a positive way.
“I think it’s important,” Habtemariam said. “It’s one of those issues that people either might not think about or, it’s like, not a lot of people report domestic violence either. So, you want to make sure people are aware. People, I feel, generally care they just aren’t aware. So, if it brings awareness and if it makes a difference and one person is like, oh I have a friend in a similar situation, the Women’s Center can help and I think that’s great.”
Domestic violence is a growing problem, but the most important thing you can do, according to Forcella, is report behavior that is concerning to a counselor or staff member. Domestic violence is a problem that every student can help combat through awareness and willingness to be an active bystander.
