ELKINS — In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Centers Against Violence will offer a candlelight vigil Monday at the Myles Center on the campus of Davis & Elkins College.

A Clothesline Project will also take place during the event, which is scheduled to run from 5:30 p.m to 7:30 p.m. Monday. Centers Against Violence will supply all the materials needed for the project.

“With the clothesline project, survivors of domestic violence can express themselves on t-shirts that we will hang up,” Jennifer “J.J.” Johnson, executive director of CAV, told The Inter-Mountain. “Somebody who has been impacted by domestic violence can also take part in the project.”

To help spread awareness, Johnson said her organization is hoping to hang the t-shirts up at some local businesses around town at the conclusion of Monday’s event.

“It’s very powerful when people decorate the t-shirts,” she said. “Because it’s something that’s physical, you can actually see it and express yourself. For a lot of victims it’s hard for them to feel comfortable expressing themselves. So this gives them a way to do that in a safe environment.”

Johnson said the event will feature guest speakers at the event. After the speeches conclude and t-shirts are designed, those attending will go outdoors and light the candles to honor the victims that have passed away over the last year, and to bring more awareness to others about domestic violence.

The month of October was first declared National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in 1989.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) has reported that more than one in four women and one in 10 men are affected by domestic violence. More than 43 million women and 38 million men have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, more than 10 million adults experience domestic violence every year in the United States. Isolation during the pandemic led to a 25 to 30 percent surge in domestic violence cases.

“The cases have leveled off since the first couple years of COVID, but the amount of cases is still too high,” Johnson said. “But the numbers out there are a drop in the bucket to reality, because there are still a lot of people, especially men, who do not report because of the stigma. And it’s not just physical abuse, it’s emotional abuse and gaslighting, which is when the abuser makes you feel and believe you are the cause of all the problems.”

Centers Against Violence, which was once known as Women’s Aid in Crisis, provides a safe outlet for those dealing with domestic violence issues.

The organization serves those in Randolph, Tucker, Braxton, Barbour, Upshur and Webster counties.

Anyone needing help with domestic violence can call CAV’s 24-hour hotline at 1-800-339-1185. Help can also be obtained by texting 304-840-SAFE. For more information, go to the organization’s web page at centersagainstviolence.org.