Production promotes dating abuse awareness

“Jenna” stood in front of the microphone, her eyes glued to the ground. She explained to the… “Jenna” stood in front of the microphone, her eyes glued to the ground. She explained to the audience that her boyfriend often forces her to have sex.

She asks him if there is anything else that they can do when they are together — he’s not interested in anything else. Jenna has been banned from spending time with her male friends. She is in denial that she is being raped.

Jenna, played by Pitt junior Julia Rubin, is one of the characters in the program “Words Not Spoken,” presented by the Hillel Jewish University Center last night in the William Pitt Union Assembly Room.

During the performance, student actors from various universities presented five monologues each representing a different type of abuse — including sexual, physical, verbal and emotional — from the viewpoints of both the abused and the abuser.

The presenters said the purpose of the production was to increase awareness of abuse and to discuss the problems and relevance of issues dealing with dating violence and abuse.

“Only 50 percent of dating abuse victims report abuse to someone else. Of those who do report, 88 percent tell a friend,” said Hedda Matza-Haughton, director of “Words Not Spoken.”

Rubin discussed why she believes many victims do not speak up.

“People who are abused are often ashamed, and to make matters worse, if they speak up, their friends tend to blame them for putting themselves in that situation and not leaving the abuser,” she said. “We forget to ask not only, ‘Why are you with him/her?’ but, ‘Why does he/she abuse?’ It’s a two-way street.”

“I hope the audience learned what the indicators of abusive behavior are and good techniques in order to resolve the issues,” senior cast member and Pitt senior Corey Cornick said.

“The program was really helpful,” sophomore Jordan Pipkin said. “It really opened my eyes to a broader definition of dating abuse and rape.”

After the monologues, about 50 audience members broke into small groups to simulate confronting a friend who had been a victim of abuse.

They practiced offering tips to help the abused victim.

“You need to listen without judging and share your concerns with the person,” Matza-Haughton said. “Let the victim know that the abuse is not his or her fault.”

Others involved with the production said that communication is necessary to protect victims from abuse.

“Silence is the enemy, and people in these situations are not alone. There are resources out there, there is help,” said senior Timothy Craft, from Rainbow Alliance. The group was a co-sponsor of the event.

The program featured a cast of four students from Pitt — seniors Cornick and Karthik Dwarki and juniors Becca Stern and Rubin, as well as Olivia Payne, a student from Duquesne University.

Matza-Haughton, a licensed clinical social worker from “For the Health of It” Consultation Services, worked with the five actors for three months prior to the program to help them develop their characters.

In addition to Rainbow Alliance, The Office of Cross-Cultural and Leadership Development, Campus Women’s Organization co-sponsored the event.