One of the big events coming up is Denim Day which is on April 27th. This day was established to remind people that sexual assault has nothing to do with what a person is wearing. The day was created as a response to a teenager who was violently raped in 1998 by a 45-year old driving instructor hired to teach her to drive. The instructor was found guilty, however, the Italian Supreme Court overruled the conviction stating that she was wearing tight jeans and basically caused the rape. The instructor's defense was referred to as the "denim defense." Denim Day was created in 1999 to symbolically protest against the erroneous and stereotypical idea that rape is caused by what people wear.
"I created Denim Day in LA in 1999. In 2011, the campaign expanded into a national movement: Denim Day USA. Growing to an international level in 2015, the GUESS? Foundation brought the campaign to Canada, as well as to it’s inspirational origins of Italy," says Patti Giggans founder of Denim Day and Executive Director of Peace Over Violence.
Sexual violence is a major public health issue according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and they provide the following facts.
- 1 in 5 women (18.3%) in the United States have been raped at some time in their lives
- 1 in 71 men (1.4%) in the United States have been raped at some time in their lives
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