UMD Denim Day: Show Your Support Against Sexual Violence - April 29

Campus Advocates Respond and Educate (CARE) To Stop Violence provides free and confidential advocacy and therapy services to primary and secondary survivors of sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking, sexual harassment, and other unwanted experiences. CARE also empowers the campus community to prevent power-based violence through educational presentations, events, and outreach activities. 

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) and Wednesday, April 29th will be the 21st Denim Day, where people all around the world wear denim to demonstrate solidarity and support for survivors of sexual assault and educate people about issues of power-based violence and victim-blaming. Denim Day began in 1998 when the Italian Supreme Court overturned a rape conviction because the assailant had been wearing jeans. The judges argued that because the jeans were so tight, the victim must have helped remove them, therefore implying consent. This goes against everything we work towards at CARE in terms of supporting survivors and empowering them. 

Our hope is to spread awareness and show that even during COVID-19, we can support survivors by wearing denim at home and educating ourselves about how to empower survivors of power-based violence. 

Wear your denim on April 29 to support survivors! Share pictures on your social media and tag us @careumd with the hashtag #DenimDay and #RaiseYourVoiceUMD If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and needs urgent advocacy services, you can call our crisis line at 301-741-3442. If it is a non- urgent matter, you can email uhc-care@umd.edu. During normal fall and spring semesters, our office is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm and is located in the University Health Center on the ground floor. You can also visit the UMD Raise Your Voice website (https://umd.edu/raise- your-voice) to learn more about the University’s sexual assault prevention and awareness campaign. Here, you can become connected with resources for survivors, ways to get involved on campus, and information regarding policy, procedures, and reporting obligations relating to sexual misconduct on campus.