Amador County – April is nationally recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and Amador County’s Operation Care encourages community participation to decide to end sexual violence, and help by participating in Denim Day of today, that is Wednesday, April 27th.

The goal is to encourage everyone in Amador County to learn about sexual violence, how to help prevent it, and how to help survivors heal. The organization urges employers to allow their staff to break the dress code and the silence by wearing jeans during the month of April, and especially on Denim Day, Wednesday April 21st.

Why Denim? “Wearing jeans during April is a symbol of protest of harmful attitudes about rape in response to an Italian Supreme Court decision to overturn a rape conviction because the victim wore jeans. The decision did not recognize that coercion, threats and force are a part of the act of rape.”

The Italian Supreme Court dismissed charges against a 45-year-old rape suspect because his 18-year old victim was wearing jeans at the time of the attack. The Court stated in its decision that “It is common knowledge...that jeans cannot even be partly removed without the effective help of the person wearing them...and it is impossible if the victim is struggling with all her might.”

The unpopular verdict became an international symbol of myth-based injustice for sexual assault victims.

Operation Care provides hospital response, advocacy, accompaniment, and peer counseling for survivors for sexual assault victims.

For more information call Operation Care at (209) 223-2897, or its 24-hour crisis line (209) 223-2600. Talk to a counselor, call toll-free, 1(800) 675-3392.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.