The Daily Campus

Issue date: 10/9/07 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Matt Lin Red flags have been placed throughout campus as part of an effort to remind students of domestic violence.

It may surprise many to realize that verbal and physical acts including breaking furniture, punching walls, swearing, name calling, mocking, shouting, interrupting and ridiculing are all warning signs of violence. More specifically, these are considered warning signs of violence directed towards women.

What one might mistake as a 'normal' argument between boy and girl may in fact be the foreshadowing of a more intense and perhaps deadly display of emotions in the future. According to FBI statistics, "every 15 seconds a woman is beaten in this country." Furthermore, "typically, in 72-77% of the cases, violence occurs only after a couple has become seriously involved, rather than in the early, more casual, stages of dating," reports Angela Browne, in her article, "When Battered Women Kill." Dating violence is a real threat to campus communities nationwide.

As a result, the UConn Women's Center has chosen to dedicate the next few weeks to educating students on those often-ignored domestic violence warning signs and will provide a variety of promotional and educational materials that aim to prevent violence directed towards women. These materials are available on the Women's Center Web site and are all part of The Red Flag Campaign, made visible by the red flags that students can now see around campus.

Specifically, this is a public awareness campaign designed to address dating violence and promote the prevention of dating violence on campuses.

"The Red Flag campaign, although it is silent, sounds a powerful message that these issues affect everyone," said Caitlin Torino, chairperson of the campaign. "We are working against the traditional belief system that abuse is a 'private matter.'"

The red flags set up around campus are a visual reminder that violence against women is an all-too-common occurrence. Torino hopes these flags will remind students to actively think about this issue and perhaps influence them to make appropriate changes in their lives in order to prevent future violence against women.

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