DENIM DAY - Thursday, April 24, 2008

Rome, Italy, 1997  A 17 year old girl is picked up by her 56 year old instructor for her very first driving lesson.  An hour later - raped and abandoned by him in an alley - she made her way back home.  Determined, she prosecuted him and won.  The driving instructor is convicted of rape and sentenced to jail.

Months Later, 1998  The perpetrator appeals the sentence.  The case makes it all the way to the Italian Supreme Court.  Within a matter of days the case against the driving instructor is overturned, dismissed, and the perpetrator released. 

Why Denim?  The Italian Supreme Court sited as their reason for overturning the guilty verdict the fact that the victim was wearing denim jeans when attacked.  The court stated in its decision that, "It is common knowledge...that jeans cannot even be partly removed without the effective help of the person wearing them...and it is impossible if the victim is struggling with all her might."  Enraged by the verdict, within a matter of hours the women in the Italian Parliament launched into immediate action and protested by wearing JEANS to work.  The protest and outrage spread worldwide and Denim Day is now observed; when women worldwide wear denim to protest and inform the public of the myths that surround rape and sexual assault, hoping that through education,  justice for all women will become a reality. 

We challenge you to wear denim on April 24th and tell people this story.  Drop by the YWCA and pick up a "Why Denim?" sticker to wear along with your jeans - all the best dressed women will be wearing them.