Youth, Government Officials, Advocates and Survivors to Rally for Denim Day NYC 2012

 All New Yorkers encouraged to wear denim on Wednesday, April 25^th in support of sexual assault survivors

April 25, 2012, New York – Citywide initiative brings together all five boroughs in New York City to take part in the third annual Denim Day NYC to combat sexual assault and dating violence as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This year’s Denim Day NYC will take place on Wednesday, April 25th with the theme of ‘Engaging Young Voices Against Sexual Assault.” All New Yorkers are encouraged to wear denim on April 25th in honor of Denim Day NYC and to support survivors of sexual assault.

Denim Day NYC is part of the internationally recognized event, Denim Day USA, which was founded by the Los Angeles-based organization Peace Over Violence, and is dedicated to raising awareness about sexual violence by wearing jeans as a visible means of protest against the myths and misconceptions that surround sexual assault. 

“Denim Day in LA started 13 years ago as a local campaign and has now grown into an award-winning national campaign reaching millions of participants each year. The expansion of Denim Day to New York City has such potential to spread the message that there is no excuse and never an invitation to rape. Our goal is to transform harmful attitudes that persist about sexual violence and through this education support survivors in their healing,” said Patti Giggans, Executive Director of Peace Over Violence and founder of Denim Day.

Denim Day NYC 2012 will unite community leaders, government officials, non-profit organizations, youth-serving groups, schools and thousands of individuals in an effort to speak out and reinforce the message that “there is no excuse and never an invitation to rape.” New York City’s elected officials are making a statement in the movement to end violence against all people by leading this year’s efforts alongside some of the city and nation’s prominent advocacy and treatment agencies.

"There is never a justification for rape."

“One out of every five women will experience sexual assault and men are also victims of this crime,” said Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer. “One of the big challenges in fighting sexual assault is debunking the myths that perpetuate such violence. There is never a justification for rape—and that is why my office has joined with a coalition of advocates to launch Denim Day NYC 2012 during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Denim Day NYC will bring educational programming on sexual assault prevention to all five boroughs. I am proud to support this effort, because it is critical that we recognize the problem of sexual violence and work to prevent it from occurring in our community, not just in April, but year-round."

 All five boroughs will also hold activities and programs throughout Denim Day NYC to educate the public on these issues and involve youth in preventing violence. The participation of all five boroughs sends a clear message that although New York City is the largest city in the United States, it is still a community that stands together to support the safety and respect of all its residents. “

"A community that has no tolerance for sexual assault—a community that prioritizes healing—is one that thinks differently, behaves differently and responds differently."

"A community that has no tolerance for sexual assault—a community that prioritizes healing—is one that thinks differently, behaves differently and responds differently. Denim Day is a time for us to come together in support of survivors of sexual violence and to demonstrate what a community that turns towards the issue looks like. And though Denim Day happens only once a year, we can all carry out its message and vision for a world without sexual violence with us always,” said Maile Zambuto, Chief Executive Officer of the Joyful Heart Foundation. 

Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer and New York City Councilmember Julissa Ferreras, along with lead agencies including the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault, the Joyful Heart Foundation, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Crime Victims Treatment Center and Start Strong Bronx are partnering with, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, A CALL TO MEN, the New York City Anti-Violence Project, the Center for Anti-Violence Education, Day One New York, the Frank and Ruth E. Caruso Foundation, Hollaback, the Mount Sinai Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Program, the Red Riding Hood Project at Wagner College, the Relationship Abuse Prevention Program, Scenarios USA, Safe Horizon of Staten Island, SPARK, Staten Island Legal Services, the Staten Island LGBTQ Community Center, STEPS to End Family Violence, UrbanWord, the YMCA of Ridgewood, the YMCA of Staten Island Broadway Branch and the YWCA of Brooklyn to implement Denim Day NYC 2012 and to provide the programs and activities throughout the day. 

For more information on Denim Day NYC and to register for Denim Day NYC, please visit www.DenimDayNYC.org. 

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About Denim Day USA

Denim Day is an award-winning annual sexual violence prevention and education campaign that grew out of a 1990s Italian Supreme Court decision, which overturned a rape conviction because the victim wore tight jeans. The judges reasoned the victim’s tight jeans meant that she had to have helped her assailant remove them, implying consent. People all over the world were outraged, and wearing jeans became an international symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes and myths surrounding sexual assault.

Peace Over Violence, a nonprofit organization in Los Angeles led by Patti Giggans, organized the country’s first Denim Day event in 1999. Under POV’s leadership, Denim Day LA & USA has grown into a national movement. In 2011, more than 2 million Americans participated in Denim Day. This year’s events mark the 13^th annual Denim Day.

For more information and to register for Denim Day USA, please visit www.DenimDayUSA.org.