Denim Day
The fourth Wednesday of April every year is Denim Day. This year, it is on April 22nd. This is a day that raises awareness about rape and sexual assault for education and prevention. Participants on this day wear jeans to work, to school or just normally to show their outrages at the myths that exists about sexual assault and the victims.
The start of the Denim Day began in 1998, sparked by the acquittal of a 45-years old man of rape by the Italian Supreme Court on the basis that the act of sex must have been consensual since the victim, an 18-years old girl, was wearing very tight jean, therefore she must have helped him remove it, which hereby gave him her consent.
This case began in 1992, where the 18-years old girl was picked up by a married 45-years old driving instructor for her very first lesson. He took her to an isolated road, pulled her out of the car, wrestled her out of one leg of her jeans and forcefully raped her. Afterwards, he threatened her with death if she ever told anyone. He then made her drive the car home. Later that night, even with the threat of death, she told her parents of her ordeal. They helped and supported her to press charges against the driving instructor. The perpetrator was arrested and prosecuted. He was convicted of rape and sentenced to jail.
However, months later, he appealed the sentence and the case made its way all the up to the Italian Supreme Court. Within days, the case against the driving instructor was overturned and dismissed by the Supreme Court, resulting in the release of the rapist from jail. In a statement to support their verdict, the Chief Judge argued that, “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, women n the Italian Parliament immediately launched into actions within hours of hearing the verdict. They protested the verdict and the Supreme Court by jeans to work. Today, eleven years later, wearing jeans has became an international symbol of protest against the misconception of rape and sexual assault. So show your support and your dismay on all the myths on sexual assaults that are still out there. Wear your Denim!!
For more information or to get involve, here are so sites to check out:
Denim Day [Wikipedia]
Denim Day In LA
Support Denim Day
Source of the detail of the case from Denim Day in LA
The start of the Denim Day began in 1998, sparked by the acquittal of a 45-years old man of rape by the Italian Supreme Court on the basis that the act of sex must have been consensual since the victim, an 18-years old girl, was wearing very tight jean, therefore she must have helped him remove it, which hereby gave him her consent.
This case began in 1992, where the 18-years old girl was picked up by a married 45-years old driving instructor for her very first lesson. He took her to an isolated road, pulled her out of the car, wrestled her out of one leg of her jeans and forcefully raped her. Afterwards, he threatened her with death if she ever told anyone. He then made her drive the car home. Later that night, even with the threat of death, she told her parents of her ordeal. They helped and supported her to press charges against the driving instructor. The perpetrator was arrested and prosecuted. He was convicted of rape and sentenced to jail.
However, months later, he appealed the sentence and the case made its way all the up to the Italian Supreme Court. Within days, the case against the driving instructor was overturned and dismissed by the Supreme Court, resulting in the release of the rapist from jail. In a statement to support their verdict, the Chief Judge argued that, “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, women n the Italian Parliament immediately launched into actions within hours of hearing the verdict. They protested the verdict and the Supreme Court by jeans to work. Today, eleven years later, wearing jeans has became an international symbol of protest against the misconception of rape and sexual assault. So show your support and your dismay on all the myths on sexual assaults that are still out there. Wear your Denim!!
For more information or to get involve, here are so sites to check out:
Denim Day [Wikipedia]
Denim Day In LA
Support Denim Day
Source of the detail of the case from Denim Day in LA