In 1992, an 18-year old girl was raped by her driving instructor in Italy. He was convicted of rape and sentenced to jail - until the Italian Supreme Court got his appeal, and overturned his sentence: "Because the victim wore very, very tight jeans," the Court notes in their decision, "she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it was no longer rape but consensual sex." The women in Italy's Parliament wore jeans to work as a protest.
Since 1999, Peace Over Violence has organized Denim Day in LA & USA each April during sexual assault awareness month, to make a statement of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual assault.
There is no excuse for and never an invitation to rape.
20 years after the women in Italy's Parliament wore jeans to work, and 13 years after Peace Over Violence brought the protest to the US, misconceptions about sexual assault still abound - victims are blamed and questioned for not behaving a certain way after an assault, rapists are set free, victims are attacked for seeking justice after being raped.
For more information about Denim Day, check out their facebook page and share a picture of yourself rocking your denim today.
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-Get involved in sexual assault awareness and prevention.
-If you have been the victim of sexual assault and need help, or you want to help a loved one, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE.
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
-Get involved in child abuse awareness and prevention.-If you suspect that a child is being abused, or if you are a child or teen who is being abused, you can call the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD.
Wow. I actually remember when that happened (which means I paid attention at a young age, and that I'm old). Thank you for the reminder that it is never okay, no matter what you are wearing. Sometimes fear is the only weapon a victim needs used against them to get them to cooperate, but that doesn't mean they consent.
ReplyDeleteI just went and put my jeans on.
ReplyDeleteJeans for me!
ReplyDeleteYou know ... I have always accepted a portion of the blame for my date-rape experience. I struggle to even call it rape because I put myself in a bad place, wearing a bikini, and I wasn't strong enough to stop it ... so of course it was my fault, right? Not right! I had a right to say "no" and he had a responsibility to honor my choice! Thanks you for so faithfully reminding all of us of that core truth!
ReplyDeleteMy blood just surged when I read this. It is simply so unfair to blame another for ones own actions. He did what he did--the so called why is ridiculous. Does this mean we must all protect what lawmakers must consider "the weak mind of a man" ? Wear burkas because men are so vulnerable, and we must protect them from themselves? Whoever the rapist is--man or woman--there is a responsibility for action he or she choses to take, and he or she needs to be held accountable. (forgive my rant).
ReplyDelete