by Kenady Craig // Staff Writer
In Italy of 1999, an eighteen year old girl was picked up by her forty-five year old married driving instructor for her first lesson. Instead of teaching her to drive, he took her to a secluded road where he forced one leg out of her jeans and raped her. Even though he threatened her with death if she told anyone, she courageously told her parents later that night, and they pressed charges. The culprit was then arrested, charged with rape, and sentenced to jail. Everything is good right? Well, he then appeals the sentence. The lawsuit goes all the way to the Italian Supreme Court where the driving instructor’s conviction is overturned and dismissed.
The Chief Judge disputed that “because the victim wore very very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans, it was no longer rape but consensual sex.” Infuriated by the verdict, the following day, women from the Italian Parliament protested and women wore denim jeans to the workplace. Peace Over Violence, a non-profit organization, caught wind of this and developed the Denim Day campaign in response to the trial. Wearing jeans soon became a symbol of protest against faulty and destructive attitudes toward sexual assault.
Nyanga Nyandemoh, Academies of Education and Empowerment senior and Human Rights Club president said, “I think the movement is something that is making people think of sexual assault and is bringing conversation and change in places where it is necessary.”
Every ninety-eight seconds, an American is getting sexually assaulted. Eighty-two percent are females under the age of eighteen and eighteen percent are males. Shockingly, only six out of one-thousand perpetrators will end up in prison.
This is an ongoing issue that needs to be discussed among both sexes. This year, Denim Day is on April 25. Every year show your support in hopes of preventing sexual assault among men and women.