In Italy in the 1990s, a controversial rape case was being fought in the courts. A rape conviction was overturned because the appeal court judges ruled that since jeans cannot be removed easily, the victim must have consented. Following that decision, a group of women lawmakers started a jeans strike, wearing denim in the Italian parliament in protest of the ruling. That started an international movement fighting victim blaming in sexual assault cases.

This year, Denim Day comes to Halifax. Peace Over Violence, a sexual and domestic violence prevention center based in Los Angeles, has promoted the Denim Day campaign for 15 years. Last year nearly 10 million people across the United States participated and it is our hope to start the awareness movement here in Halifax. We’re asking you to help us take a stand against victim blaming by wearing denim on Wednesday, April 23, 2014.

There are many ways to get involved with Denim Day. You can tweet a photo of yourself wearing jeans and/or post it on Facebook with hashtags #denimday and #Halifax. You can also get your office involved by encouraging your coworkers to participate as well. You could even ask your coworkers to make a small donation for dressing casually on April 23. Any donations to Avalon a greatly appreciated as they help us to continue our work with survivors of sexualized violence.

If you would like to make a donation, you can click here to donate online or call our office at 422-4240 for other options.