Lawrenceville, Ga. – Blue jeans are worn by millions of Americans every day, but staff members of Gwinnett Sexual Assault and Children’s Advocacy Center and students at the University of Georgia Gwinnett Campus will wear their denim on April 22 for a special reason—to step forward and take a stand against sexual violence.
“Denim Day is an important opportunity to raise awareness and prevent sexual assault against women,” said Ann Burdges, executive director of the Gwinnett Sexual Assault Center. “We urge everyone in the community to join us in wearing jeans on Denim Day.”
The UGA Gwinnett Campus will feature a jean square display in the lobby, April 12-23. The display is comprised of jean squares created by individuals of all ages who have been affected by sexual assault and/or abuse in either a direct or indirect manner. Each square tells a small portion of each person’s story.
Denim Day was started in 1999 to protest an Italian High Court ruling that overturned a rape conviction because the victim was wearing tight jeans. Outraged by the verdict, women in the Italian Legislature protested the decision by wearing jeans. As news of the court’s decision spread, so did the protest. Today, Denim Day and the Jeans for Justice campaign are celebrated worldwide. For more information, see www.jeans4justice.org
For more information on the Gwinnett Sexual Assault and Children’s Advocacy Center, seewww.gsac-cac.org/.
