By: Richard L. Smith
Members of the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office (PCPO) staff wore jeans to work on Wednesday in honor and recognition of all sexual assault survivors.
According to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, Denim Day originated in 1999 after the Italian Supreme Court overturned the sexual assault conviction of a 45-year-old driving instructor who sexually assaulted an 18-year-old female taking her first driving lesson.
Prosecutor Valdes said a statement from the Court argued that because the victim was wearing very tight jeans, she must have helped him remove them. Removing the jeans was not rape but constituted consensual sex.
This became known throughout Italy as the “jeans alibi.” Enraged by the verdict, the women in the Italian Parliament launched a protest wearing jeans on the steps of the Supreme Court.
Prosecutor Valdes said the international media picked up the protest, now commemorated annually worldwide.
Wearing denim sends a message supporting all sexual assault survivors and signifies that consent for sexual conduct has nothing to do with one’s clothing Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said.
For more information about National Denim Day, please visit RAINN, the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network at www.rainn.org, or contact PCPO Victim Witness Coordinator Joan Nixon at Jnixon@passaiccountynj.org.
Denim Day is traditionally observed on the last Wednesday of April, during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This day of action and awareness is an event where people are encouraged to wear denim to combat victim blaming and educate others about sexual violence.