What they wore: Amish Country exhibit spotlights sex abuse
Clotheslines with billowing linens and long dresses are a common sight on the off-grid farms of Pennsylvanias Lancaster County, home to the nations largest Amish settlement. For many tourists theyre as iconic a part of Amish Countrys bucolic scenery as the rural lanes and wooden bridges.
But for two days in late April, a clothesline with a different purpose was strung in a small indoor exhibit here. Hanging from it were 13 outfits representing the trauma of sexual assault suffered by members of the Amish, Mennonite and similar groups, a reminder that the modest attire they require, particularly of women and girls, is no protection.
Each garment on display was either the actual one a survivor wore at the time they were assaulted or a replica assembled by volunteers to match the strict dress codes of the survivors childhood church.
One was a long-sleeve, periwinkle blue Amish dress with a simple stand collar. The accompanying sign said, Survivor Age: 4 years old.Next to it was a 5-year-olds heavy coat, hat and long, hunter green dress, displayed above sturdy black shoes. I was never safe and I was a child. He was an adult, a sign quoted the survivor as saying. No one helped me when I told them he hurt me.
There was also an infants onesie.
You feel rage when you get a tiny little outfit in the mail, said Ruth Ann Brubaker of Wayne County, Ohio, who helped put the exhibit together. I didnt know I could be so angry. Then you start crying.
https://apnews.com/article/religion-pennsylvania-sexual-abuse-by-clergy-assault-lancaster-0e97364f986c9b9fffaed44520fc2b1f
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This made me cry. Sexual abuse happens everywhere and is no respecter of traditions
CrispyQ
(38,122 posts)And it's not getting any better.
sheshe2
(87,165 posts)I want to cry. I want to scream.
Diamond_Dog
(34,489 posts)I have been on edge all week over current events, too.
Faux pas
(15,292 posts)sexual abuse is the reason that those types closed off societies exist.
Jilly_in_VA
(10,838 posts)That's not the point! It fucking happens EVERYWHERE! You can live in a nice area of wealthy homes and get abused by your neighbor or teacher or a family member, or a slum and get abused by the guy down the hall, the super, or some rando off the street. Pay attention!
ultralite001
(1,118 posts)For indigenous peoples... Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women... and men...
and those lost to abortion...
and domestic violence...
and substance abuse...
and police maltreatment...
and religious/race/gender/age/you-name-it intolerance...
"Sexual abuse happens everywhere and is no respecter of traditions"...
So many voices crying out be heard...
and gone... never to be heard again...
Response to Jilly_in_VA (Original post)
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