This year Denim Day is celebrated on April 26. On this day, WE stand in solidarity with sexual assault survivors and victims.
Celebrated every year on the last Wednesday in April, Denim Day started as a campaign against sexual assault apologists. Every year Social Model Recovery Systems (SMRS) celebrates Denim Day in honor of Sexual Violence Awareness Month by encouraging staff/employees to wear denim for the day.
The campaign was originally triggered by a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court where a rape conviction was overturned because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans, she must have helped her rapist remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. This ruling sparked outrage and led to a social movement in Italy where women wore jeans to protest the court’s decision.
Denim Day is an annual campaign that takes place to raise awareness about sexual violence and support survivors. The campaign was first started in 1999 by the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization Peace Over Violence in support of the protests in Italy in response to the court’s ruling against a victim of rape.
The Denim Day campaign has since spread to many countries around the world, with participants wearing denim on the last Wednesday of April as a symbol of protest against victim-blaming and to show support for survivors of sexual violence. The campaign also aims to educate people about the importance of consent and to promote a culture of respect and equality.
