Special 'Dresses for Sorrow' exhibition highlighting domestic abuse will be on display for the public to visit

The exhibition entitled ‘Dresses for Sorrow’ is a visual representation of women who have lost their lives due to domestic abuse from a man this year. Each dress represents each woman’s life to ensure they are remembered as an individual rather than a statistic.

More than 140 dresses will be on display on washing lines as part of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.

Teddy bears will also be on display to represent children who have lost their mothers due to domestic abuse.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Tracey Dixon, said: “We all read the tragic stories of women who are killed by men but this exhibition really brings home the scale of the problem.

She added: “Seeing all the dresses and realising that each dress represents a victim focuses the mind on the scale of this tragic loss of life. Every woman killed will have been a sister, partner, mother or grandmother. The exhibition really is thought-provoking and I would encourage people to come along and see it.

The exhibition will open at South Shields Museum on Tuesday, 30 November and will be on display until Thursday, 2 December between 11am-3pm. It will then be based at Hebburn Children’s Centre, Campbell Park Road from 6 – 9 December between 11am and 3pm. Its final stop will be at Jarrow Town Hall where people can see it on 10 December between 11am and 3pm.

The exhibition is open to the public and is free to attend.

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