April 25 is National Denim Day
Join Someplace Safe and others across the U.S. for
National Denim Day on April 25 by wearing denim and helping to spread the word that there is No Excuse for Sexual Violence! Get your
PLEDGE FORM HERE!
Denim Day is a campaign to prevent sexual violence through education and public awareness. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and Denim Day is a call to action for all people to come together by wearing denim as a visible sign of protest against sexual violence. By participating in Denim Day, you can play a role in the prevention of sexual violence. Every year we ask community members, elected officials, businesses and students to make a social statement with their fashion and on April 25th to wear jeans as a visible means of protest against misconceptions that surround sexual assault.
Why Denim Day?
Every two and a half minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted...
One in six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape...
82.8% of rapes committed by an intimate are not reported to the police...
35% of college men who voluntarily participated in psychological research conducted at several universities indicated they might commit a rape if they knew they could get away with it...
Two million children around the world are forced into prostitution every year...
Law enforcement arrests for internet sex crimes against minors are on the rise...
15,000 to 19,000 people with developmental disabilities are raped each year in North America...
Survivors deserve support and assistance, not shame and blame...
We want to build healthy relationships, families and communities free from sexual, domestic and interpersonal violence...
Denim Day History
An 18-year old girl is picked up by her married 45-year old driving instructor for her very first lesson. He takes her to an isolated road, pulls her out of the car, wrestles her out of one leg of her jeans and forcefully rapes her. Threatened with death if she tells anyone, he makes her drive the car home. Later that night she tells her parents, and they help and support her to press charges. The perpetrator gets arrested and is prosecuted. He is convicted of rape and sentenced to jail.
He appeals the sentence. The case makes it's all the way to the Italian Supreme Court. Within a matter of days the case against the driving instructor is overturned, dismissed, and the perpetrator released. In a statement by the Chief Judge, he argued, "because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it was no longer rape but consensual sex."
Enraged by the verdict, within a matter of hours the women in the Italian Parliament launched into immediate action and protested by wearing jeans to work. This call to action motivated and emboldened the California Senate and Assembly to do the same, which in turn spread to Patricia Giggans, Executive Director of Peace Over Violence, and Denim Day in LA was born. The first Denim Day in LA was in April 1999, and has continued every year since.
How Can You Help?
Wear denim on April 25th to help spread the message that There is
No Excuse for Sexual Violence! Encourage your friends or coworkers to pledge $1 to
Someplace Safe and help support victims and survivors locally! Get your pledge form
HERE!
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Join Someplace Safe and others across the U.S. for National Denim Day on April 25 by wearing denim and helping to spread the word that there is No Excuse for Sexual Violence! Get your PLEDGE FORM HERE!
Denim Day is a campaign to prevent sexual violence through education and public awareness. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and Denim Day is a call to action for all people to come together by wearing denim as a visible sign of protest against sexual violence. By participating in Denim Day, you can play a role in the prevention of sexual violence. Every year we ask community members, elected officials, businesses and students to make a social statement with their fashion and on April 25th to wear jeans as a visible means of protest against misconceptions that surround sexual assault.
