Project Cotton - Denim Day

In 1998, the Italian Supreme Court over-turned a ruling against a man convicted of rape. The court decided that since the victim had been wearing jeans, the alleged attacker could not possibly have taken the jeans off without help from the victim, and therefore no rape occurred. This court action brought about an immediate outcry from people in Europe and the United States. Currently, Denim Day is recognized nationwide. The first Denim Day was established in April 1999 in California. For the past two years, the Association of Textile and Apparel Management (ATAM) at the University of Missouri has been reaching out to the campus and community in an effort to promote rape awareness by participating in Denim Day. In 2007, Governor Matt Blunt signed a proclamation making April 26th the official date for Denim Day in Missouri.

Denim Day is a rape awareness campaign.

According to the National Crime Victimization Survey:

*Every two and a half minutes someone in America is sexually assaulted

*1 in 6 American women and 1 in 33 American men are victims of sexual assault

*In 2005 there were 191,670 victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault

*Almost 2/3 of all rapes were committed by someone who is known to the victim

More information about Denim Day:

http://www.dhss.mo.gov/WomensHealth/DenimDay/

http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2007/0409-denim-day.php

http://hes.missouri.edu/vanguard07.pdf

http://www.columbiatribune.com/2007/Apr/20070425News010.asp

http://www.themaneater.com/stories/2008/4/25/students-groups-observe-denim-day/

Denim Day Proclamation

Governor Matt Blunt signed a proclamation making April 26 officially Denim Day