Every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. And every 9 minutes, that victim is a child.
April is nationally recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). During this month, we raise awareness about sexual violence in all its forms, educate on prevention and intervention strategies, and support survivors. Started in 1971 as a grassroots rape and battering hotline, Peace Over Violence (POV) has been working in this field for over 50 years and is one of the leading organizations in the country doing this work. Our hotline has expanded and continues to run around the clock, 24 hours a day/7 days a week, serving survivors of all forms of interpersonal violence. 23 years ago, POV and Executive Director Patti Giggans launched Denim Day, the longest running sexual violence prevention and education campaign in history, still going strong today. Join us in solidarity - and jeans! - on Wednesday, April 27th.
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A Proclamation on National Sexual Assault Awareness And Prevention Month, 2022
-President Biden's official 2022 proclamation
I was raised to believe that one of the greatest sins is the abuse of power –- whether it is economic, psychological, or physical. The cruel fact is that people of every age, ability, race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, socioeconomic background, and religion suffer the pain and trauma of the abuse of power that is sexual assault. Sexual violence can occur anywhere — and millions of assaults occur each year at the workplace, in the home, at school, and online. These assaults are an intolerable affront to our shared humanity. During National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, we renew our commitment to ensuring that every person can live a life free from sexual violence. We continue in our commitment to stand with survivors, hold perpetrators accountable, and dismantle a culture that is complicit in allowing sexual violence to continue.
Read the full proclamation
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Why Denim?
For the past 23 years, Peace Over Violence has run an inspiring and powerful opportunity to practice solidarity and support survivors by renewing our commitment to exposing harmful behaviors and attitudes surrounding sexual violence. Denim Day is a campaign on a Wednesday in April in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The campaign began after a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court where a rape conviction was overturned because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans she must have helped the person who raped her remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. The following day, the women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim. Patti Giggans and Peace Over Violence developed the Denim Day campaign in response to this case and the activism surrounding it. Since then, what started as a local campaign to bring awareness to victim blaming and destructive myths that surround sexual violence has grown into a movement. As the longest running sexual violence prevention and education campaign in history, Denim Day asks community members, elected officials, businesses, students, and people everywhere to make a social statement with their fashion statement by wearing jeans on this day as a visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual violence.
Denim Day 2022's theme emphasizes the relevance of one of the original campaign messages: there is STILL no excuse and never an invitation to rape. Join us on Wednesday, April 27th when millions of individuals across the world will wear jeans with a purpose, support survivors, and educate themselves and others about all forms of sexual violence!
Learn more
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New Denim Day Merch
Our new Denim Day 2022 collection has dropped in our online shop! Lots of new stuff featuring our campaign message: there is STILL no excuse and never an invitation to rape. Check it out and gear up for Denim Day now!
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Support healing services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
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CONTACT
Metro Headquarters
1541 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 300
Los Angeles, CA 90017
213.955.9090 office
213.955.9093 fax
213.785.2684 video
213.785.2749 video
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West San Gabriel Valley Center
892 N Fair Oaks Ave, Suite D
Pasadena, CA 91103
626.584.6191 office
626.584.6193 fax
626.243.7972 video
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