Life-sized, red, wooden silhouettes will appear prominently throughout Sharon starting Monday, sending a message about a very real issue.

The Silent Witness Initiative silhouettes will spend Monday through Friday displayed here as part of H.U.G.S. (Help Us Get Safe) Sharon's efforts during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

This week, that work also includes: a domestic violence awareness banner hanging downtown; showing "The Lesson," a Deana's Educational Theater play about cyber-bullying, at Sharon High School; and a documentary and panel discussion at the Sharon Public Library.

Last Wednesday, Sharon Middle School seventh-graders saw "Doin' The Right Thing," a Deana's play about respect, bullying and harassment, while eighth-graders saw "Remote Control," a play about dating violence.

Also, this month, the Sharon and high school libraries are displaying books about domestic violence and teen dating violence. And the Sharon library is inviting youngsters to make colored hand prints for a "Hands and Words are not for Hurting" banner, according to H.U.G.S' website.

"I think, in general, from when we started, we do a lot more education. That's really the key," H.U.G.S. Past President Sue Robinson says.

"The fact is, where do you see anything about domestic violence? There's no purple lights. There's no signs anywhere. There's not really national publicity, like there is about other things.

"People definitely don't want to talk about it. They're embarrassed. They're humiliated."

This week's programs will promote public discussion in Sharon.

Part of a national travelling exhibit, some of the Silent Witness silhouettes will be displayed at the library, the Sharon Town Offices and the Sharon Police Department this week, Robinson says.

Tuesday morning, H.U.G.S. will bring some of the silhouettes to the Sharon MBTA commuter rail station, she says.

"I think it's kind of shocking when (people) see. They probably don't know what it is," Robinson says.

"It's great to have a visual of what is going on with domestic violence. This will represent the men and women and children that were killed so far in Massachusetts."

Thursday's event includes showing the documentary "Telling Amy's Story," followed by a discussion with Sharon's domestic violence officer, Harriet Reichert, and Dr. Deborah Cohan, whose studies are focused on gender issues and domestic violence.

The program seeks to "help people understand and take them through what happened to this woman (Amy), and to see what was missed," Robinson says.