Comedian Ben Atherton-Zeman and UW-Madison students performed a skit to depict an emotionally abusive college relationship Wednesday at an event sponsored by Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment.
According to Atherton-Zeman, victims do not have to be physically assaulted for it to constitute abuse. The relationship portrayed between the couple in the skit represented a college student being emotionally and psychologically abused by her boyfriend.
Atherton-Zeman said it is important to portray the abusive boyfriend as caring and apologetic in addition to jealous and controlling, because that is a side outsiders do not see yet is often what keeps victims from leaving.
PAVE Chair Claire Peterson played the abused girlfriend of Atherton-Zeman in the skit, which relied heavily on audience involvement. Several audience members acted out the parts of family, friends, a house fellow, a judge and others.
""I thought the skit went better than I ever could have imagined. I thought it was really realistic and I thought we did a good job,"" Peterson said. ""I think that it definitely affected people. It was cool to have that impression.""
Atherton-Zeman said he chose to start speaking out against violence because he met and dated women who were sexually assaulted and were in controlling relationships in college.
""Hearing what it was like for them, it felt like it was an honor for them to share this with me [and it] just really made me mad,"" Atherton-Zeman said. ""They were like, ‘Well if you're mad, do something about it.'""
Atherton-Zeman said he works to get more men involved in the battle to end violence against women.
From his experience, once men start speaking up, they are often listened to more than women who have had problematic relationships, Atherton-Zeman said.
