Wearing jeans on Denim Day is part of the international campaign against sexual violence. Zonta Club of Hilo asks businesses, organizations, and individuals to wear jeans on Denim Day in support of sexual assault survivors and to raise awareness about sexual assault misconceptions.
Zonta Club of Hilo and the County of Hawai`i Office of the Prosecuting Attorney join together with groups across the country and the world to wear jeans to get the message out. At least 20 states within the United States officially recognize Denim Day.
Denim Day is a growing global initiative to educate the public about rape and sexual assault. The first Denim Day was in 1999 and was inspired by the women of the Italian Parliament who wore jeans to work the day after an Italian High Court overturned the rape conviction of a 45-year-old man who sexually assaulted his 18-year-old driving student.
The court based its decision on the victim wearing tight jeans and “certainly it is impossible to pull them off if the victim is fighting her attacker with all her force,” determining that if she helped the perpetrator remove her jeans, she must have consented.
Denim Day takes place annually in April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness & Prevention Month.
