YWCA sets Denim Day anti-rape program

VW independent/submitted information

For the past 17 years, Peace Over Violence has run its Denim Day campaign on a Wednesday in April during Sexual Violence Awareness Month.

The campaign was originally triggered by a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court overturning a rape conviction because the justices felt that, since the victim was wearing tight jeans, she must have helped her rapist remove her jeans, thereby implying consent.

The following day, women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim. Peace Over Violence developed the Denim Day campaign in response to this case and the activism surrounding it. Since then, wearing jeans on Denim Day has become a symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual assault.

In this rape prevention education campaign, community members, elected officials, businesses, and students are asked to make a social statement with their fashion by wearing jeans on this day as a visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual assault.

This year’s Denim Day will be held this Wednesday, April 27. The YWCA is asking community members, local agencies, businesses, and organizations to set aside this day to allow staff to wear jeans to bring awareness to Sexual Assault issues within the community.

For more information, contact Jody Wannemacher, YWCA outreach coordinator, at 419.238.6639, extension 109. The YWCA is a United Way and Van Wert County Foundation funded agency.