Monday, April 25, 2011

Students, faculty and staff at the University of North Carolina Wilmington will wear jeans to campus April 27 to protest sexual violence. The "Denim Day" event is being sponsored by the university's Collaboration for Assault Response and Education (CARE) office to protest the myths that surround rape and sexual assault. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

"We are asking everyone in the UNCW community to join us in wearing jeans on April 27 to speak out about this very important issue," said Jen Adler, CARE associate director for violence prevention and response. "We will also provide stickers inviting people to ask participants why they are wearing jeans, so they can share the story of Denim Day."

Wearing jeans during Sexual Assault Awareness Month became an international symbol of protest against common misconceptions about rape victims in 1999, following a 1998 decision by an Italian High Court to overturn a rape conviction. The justices reasoned that, because the 18-year-old rape victim wore very tight jeans, the 45-year-old defendant could not have removed her jeans by himself, so the victim must have participated and given consent.

Women in the Italian Legislature protested the decision by wearing jeans. As news of the decision spread, so did the protest. In April 1999, the state of California established the first Denim Day in the U.S.

"Since 1999, people have made a social statement by wearing jeans to promote awareness and show support to all those impacted by sexual violence," said Adler. "There's no excuse for sexual assault and there is never an invitation to rape. The message of Denim Day is to stop blaming the victims."

Media are invited to come to campus to cover Denim Day and interview participants as well as coordinators in the CARE office. More information about Denim Day at UNCW is available online at www.uncw.edu/denimday.

Media contact:
Dana Fischetti, media relations manager, 910.508.3127 or fischettid@uncw.edu