Victims of violence will be able to vent their anger at a forum to be held on the anniversary of Rebecca Middleton's murder.

Tomorrow the Coalition for the Protection of Children, the Institute for Child and Family Health, the Physical Abuse Centre, and the Women's Resource Centre will be sponsoring "A Day Against Violence''.

Daina Casling, a 20-year-old student at Holy Cross College in Massachusetts who initiated planning for the rally, said she saw the importance of having such an event on the Island.

"Because of the time I spent last summer reporting on courtroom events for The Royal Gazette , I became more aware of the level of violence that exists in Bermuda,'' she said.

"I was especially affected by the shocking death of Rebecca Middleton. I thought the anniversary of her death was a good day to remember not only Becky Middleton, but all victims of violence.'' The lunchtime rally scheduled to take place at City Hall between noon and 2 p.m. will feature poetry, music by singer Grace Landy, and a clothesline exhibition.

Ms Casling explained that the idea for the clothesline exhibition came from a "Rally For Respect'' held at her college.

She said there will be a clothesline of different coloured T-shirts hanging around City Hall.

Survivors of abuse are encouraged to decorate a T-shirt with words or pictures to express the trauma of their particular experience.

The shirts are colour coded and each colour represents a different type of abuse. For example, yellow shirts are for victims of domestic violence and green shirts are for survivors of incest.

In addition to some clients of the Physical Abuse Centre offering their stories, there will be an open microphone session for anyone who wants to give their personal testimony.

Sheelagh Cooper, one of the organisers and the chairperson of the board for the Coalition for the Protection of Children, noted that violence had permeated the entire community.

"We have reached a crossroads in this community,'' she said. "There have been calls from a significant portion of the population for tougher legislation, stronger sentencing, and more policing to make a difference.'' But, Mrs. Cooper added: "At the end of the day, all the legislation and policing will have a small impact unless coupled with proper treatment.'' Patricia Basden, secretary at the Physical Abuse Centre, said the issue of domestic violence is finally becoming recognised by the community.

"People are finally getting the courage to speak up...the incident at Bellybusters where six people called us (about a child being abused) shows that there's been progress,'' she said. "A few years ago, people would've just walked by.'' Taking a stand against violence "The forum called `Blow the Whistle on Violence' that we had at Number One Shed in January 1995 had people coming out of the closet and talking about the abuse they had gone through. Some people had been taking abuse for more than 20 years,'' she added.

All of the organisers of the event emphasised the importance of community involvement.

"Apathy is contagious, but so is activism...this is my way of not just noticing the problem, but becoming part of the solution,'' Ms Casling said.

For more information about the day against violence call 295-1150.