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Denim Day: A Chance to Support Sexual Assault Victims Denim Day: A Chance to Support Sexual Assault Victims

By Nicole Cox

Cox: Walking on campus today things are a little different… and no it’s not just because of the man in a green cowboy hat serenading students… it’s all the denim. And it’s not just Syracuse students wearing it. Today is national Denim Day and millions of people around the country will be wearing their favorite pair of jeans to raise awareness about sexual assault.

Eyeam: I think at the very least it lets victims know that that part of our society is wrong and that the norms shouldn’t be to depict their lives. And so for some survivors it could be a symbol to come forward, to share their story, to report the crime that happened against them.

Cox: It all started when an 18-year-old girl in Italy did just that. In 1992 she was raped by her 45-year-old driving instructor. He was initially charged but years later he appealed and the italian supreme court said …

Eyeam: That she must have consented to the sexual assault because her jeans were so tight that in order to get them off she must have helped or consented to it.

Cox: Following the decision, women in the Italian Parliament showed up the next day in jeans and it drew attention from people all around the world. Protests erupted and people saw it as just another example of victim blaming.

Cox: A year later in 1999 the Los Angeles based organization, Peace over Violence, started national denim day here in the U.S. The fight for justice for sexual assault victims is on-going… and the Vera house here in Syracuse provides as a safe space for women needing support.

Cox: The center has a wide range of domestic violence services including children’s counseling, domestic violence education, and even an accountability program for perpetrators of violence.
Vera House’s mission is to end all forms of abuse and have served the community for over 40 years, helping countless women in the community.

Eyeam: One part of Vera House that not too many people are aware of is that we have a survivors network, so it’s actually a group of survivors that meet on a regular basis and they learn how to well they don’t learn how to but it’s all about healing.

Cox: Usually, the workers at the domestic and sexual violence agency come together to all take pictures and acknowledge what it means to so many people. But this year employees sent their photos from home using the hashtag Denim Day. But whether you wore jeans today or not , Amanda Eye-am says the most important thing is letting survivors know they’re not alone. Nicki Cox N-C-C news

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News)- April is Sexual Assault Awareness month, and this past Wednesday millions of people from around the world wore denim to show support for sexual assualt victims. This day hits close to home for many women in Syracuse as 1 out of 3 women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetimes according to Amanda Eyeam, the prevention educator at Vera House in Syracuse.

“I think at the very least it lets victims know that that part of our society is wrong and that the norms shouldn’t be to depict their lives. And so for some survivors it could be a symbol to come forward, to share their story, to report the crime that happened against them,” Eyeam said.

Denim Day started in 1992 when an 18-year-old Italian girl was raped by her 45-year-old driving instructor. He was initially convicted, but in 1998 he appealed the charges and the Italian Supreme Court decided that the young woman’s jeans were so tight she must have helped him take them off, thereby implying consent.

Following the decision, women in the Italian Parliament showed up the next day in jeans and it drew attention from people all around the world. A year later in 1999, the Los Angeles based organization, Peace over Violence, started national Denim Day here in the U.S.

A survivor of sexual assault herself, Eyeam urges people to wear denim not only to support the victims of sexual assault, but to encourage people to eduacte themselves, donate to organizations that combat sexual assault, and raise awareness in general.

“This day shows them that they are not alone,” she said.

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