Friday, April 29th 2011 is S.A.F.E.’s  ”Jeans for Justice” Day!

Each year, businesses make donations to their local rape crisis centers in exchange for allowing their staff to wear jeans to work on that day. Each participating business receives a poster to display in their office which will provoke discussion and education around the issue of sexual assault. The purpose of the poster is to provide a fixture to spark discussion for employees “around the water cooler” so to speak on the issues of sexual assault and the judicial system.

Here’s a little background on the cause:

In 1999, a judge in Italy overturned the 1998 rape conviction of a 45 year-old driving instructor who had been convicted of raping his 18-year-old student. A lower court had sentenced the defendant to 2 years and eight months in prison but the appeals court sent the case back for retrial and a higher court overturned the ruling on the basis of what
the victim was wearing. The higher court ruled that it is impossible to take off tight pants such as jeans “without the cooperation of the person wearing them”, and said it was impossible if the victim is struggling. The court also doubted the testimony of the victim because she waited several hours to tell her parents she had been attacked.

Following the ruling, a group of female Italian lawmakers wore jeans to parliament. This action prompted women all over Italy to join in a “skirt strike” and wear jeans. Female TV personalities known for chic dress began to don only denim. A housewives’
federation offered a prize to any designer who could come up with “easy off jeans” and planned a jean march to the justice ministry. Union Official Stefania Sidoli said, “We thank the court for having enriched women’s wardrobes with a new garment. To the business suit and the little black dress, we can now add the anti-rape outfit: a comfortable and resistant pair of jeans.”

Protests have now gone global and are currently

taking place today in the form of  “Jeans for Justice.”

S.A.F.E., Inc.  takes part in “Jeans for Justice” in two ways:

Our Fundraiser

  • We encourage people to wear jeans to work on Friday April 29th & make a donation to S.A.F.E. Inc.
  • Get your workplace involved! We provide you with posters,  Sexual Assault Awareness Month pins and information to host your own “Jeans for Justice” event. Please email sonja@safe_comcast.net or call (662) 841-2273 OR register online  www.safeshelter.net/justice/

Mobile Art Exhibits

  • View the “Jeans for Justice” art exhibit at the Link Center in the month of April. Jeans painted with messages about violence have been created by residents of northeast Mississippi from a wide variety of backgrounds and age groups in conjunction with our annual “Jeans for Justice” fund-raiser. The jeans reflect the individual artists’ feelings about violence in our community. Some jeans honor victims of violent crime, others state facts and statistics, and others send a message of hope.
  • Come and paint with the Tupelo Women’s Club “Jeans for Justice” Paint Party. Sunday, April 10th from 2PM until 4 PM at the Link Center. You can create your own pair of jeans to help send a message about violence. Jeans will become a part of a traveling exhibition that touches the lives of many people in northeast Mississippi.

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