In Carroll County, T-shirts have become a platform for the abused, battered, raped and assaulted.

About 35 T-shirts were pinned up on clotheslines at Carroll Community College during Carroll's Response to Family Violence Conference on Friday.

Each T-shirt was of a color, chosen by the national Clothesline Project, to signify the different kinds of abuse; each had a message painted on it.

A blue one, to signify survivors of incest or child sexual assault, read "Touch me here. It's our little secret."

A purple T-shirt, signifying a person attacked because of sexual orientation, read "Go to H---!"

Some shirts delivered messages of hope, like a yellow one - signifying a victim of battery or assault - that read "Ride the wave of change."

The T-shirts are a local version of the national Clothesline Project, which aims to "air out society's dirty laundry," according to the project's Web site.

Reactions from passers-by were as varied as the T-shirts.

Some were sad or shocked, but Elaine Witman was angry because people aren't aware that family violence is a growing problem.

"We have been begging and pleading for the society and the system to pay attention," Witman said.

Witman is project director for the Sidran Institute in Baltimore. She helps victims of family violence deal with traumatic stress.

"Children who are abused suffer with wounds from abuse and neglect at home," she said. "This is a visual. It gives you a sense of what they're feeling."

Also pinned to the clothesline were facts about family violence in Carroll County.

One such fact: In 2003, 300 to 900 people in Carroll County were battered or assaulted.

Jackie Cowan, a guidance counselor at West Middle School, was shocked, both by these facts and the messages on the shirts.

"I just keep thinking that every one represents a person who was hurt," she said.

Laura Rhodes, a manager at Partnership for a Healthier Carroll and coordinator of the Clothesline Project, hopes to awaken people with this project.

"It definitely has made people talk," Rhodes said. "Especially because these are Carroll County victims."

When the T-shirts were displayed in the TownMall of Westminster a few weeks ago, many people reacted with disbelief, Rhodes said.

"Everyone was like, 'I can't believe this goes on in Carroll County,' " she said.

Reach staff writer Janie M. Fichter at 410-857-7890 or fichterj@lcniofmd.com.