denim day proclamation in honolulu

Mayor Rick Blangiardi donned a denim jacket as he proclaimed April 24, 2024, as Denim Day in Honolulu. People across Oahu were encouraged to wear denim to show support for sex assault survivors and to promote ending victim blaming. The Sex Abuse Treatment Center (SATC), Hawaii Department of Health, Hawaii Department of the Attorney General, Honolulu Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, Honolulu Police Department and other organizations attended the proclamation ceremony.

Denim Day originated in 1999, when a Supreme Court in Italy overturned a rape conviction. The justices said the victim must have helped her rapist remove the tight jeans she was wearing, thereby consenting to sex. The day after the ruling, women in the Italian Parliament protested by wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim. Since then, Denim Day has become one of the longest-running global sexual violence prevention and education campaigns. Watch the video to see how the community came together to support sex assault survivors.