Denim Day a Chance to Support the Victims of Sexual Assault & Raise Awareness by Corinne Lyons

1/4/2015

Denim Day: A Chance To Support the Victims Of Sexual Assault & Raise Awareness - RIZZARR

Profile Log Out

14k

7,309 followers

WHAT IS RIZZARR? THE TIMES National International THE PARTICULARS Beauty & Style Business Savvy Eco-Friendly & Technology Educated on Education Entertainment Global & Travel Insights Health 4-1-1 Political Introspection Religious Perspective Socialize LIFE TRIUMPHS Education Financials Happiness Relationships Self-Acceptance Success THE RIPPLE EFFECT Ideas Making A Mark One Personâ&#x20AC;Ś Many Ripples REVIVED Encouraging Thoughts Inspiring Books The Creative You Ripple of the Days TELEVISION NETWORK The Times

Denim Day: A Chance To Support the Victims Of Sexual Assault & Raise Awareness April 23, 2014 | Posted at 8:52 pm | by Corinne Lyons

http://www.rizzarr.com/2014/04/23/denim-day-in-detroit/

1/9

1/4/2015

Denim Day: A Chance To Support the Victims Of Sexual Assault & Raise Awareness - RIZZARR

(Inara Prusakova/ iStockphoto/ Thinkstock) Misconceptions about the victims of sexual assault still continue in today’s world.

Denim Day began 15 years ago and is held in April to honor Sexual Violence Awareness Month. The campaign was triggered by a ruling handed down by the Italian Supreme Court in which a rape conviction was overturned.

In 1997, a 45-year-old driving instructor was accused of allegedly raping an 18-year-old girl during her first driving lesson, he allegedly raped her for an hour. The alleged rapist was eventually convicted and sentenced. But in 1998, the Italian Supreme Court overturned the conviction, arguing that since the victim wore tight jeans, she must have had to help her attacker remove her jeans. Therefore, the justices believed that since the victims’ jeans were tight, she must have helped her attacker remove them, thereby implying consent.

The next day, women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans. The ruling received worldwide attention and sparked many protests.This act of solidarity inspired Peace Over Violence to develop Denim Day as a response. There have been 20 U.S. states or more that have officially recognized Denim Day on April 23rd.

Years after the ruling and the making of Denim Day, there are many fighting to help eradicate the misconceptions surrounding sex assault victims and to raise awareness about the issue.

Sexual Assault kits are just one of the tools law enforcement uses to prosecute offenders. Often times, the information contained in the kit is the only way that law enforcement can discover who committed the assault.

In Detroit, there is a backlog of sexual assault kits. This means kits were collected but not sent for testing. Detroit’s crime lab was shut down in 2009, but now the Michigan State crime lab tests all of the forensic evidence from crimes committed in Detroit.

http://www.rizzarr.com/2014/04/23/denim-day-in-detroit/

2/9

1/4/2015

Denim Day: A Chance To Support the Victims Of Sexual Assault & Raise Awareness - RIZZARR

In 2009, while touring a Detroit Police Department storage facility, the Michigan State Police and Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office found over 11,000 sexual assault kits, some dating back to the ‘80s. This is a rape kit rescued from the Detroit Crime Lab. (Photo courtesy of County of Wayne Office of the Prosecuting Attorney) Recently, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced proposed legislation, which encourages the ‘timely analysis of rape kits by prescribing processes and timelines for the kit; from the moment it is pick-uped by law enforcement to its testing by crime laboratories.

Additionally, the legislation establishes boundaries for removing a DNA profile from CODIS.

“The problem of back-logged and abandoned sexual assault kits illustrates the need for the proposed Sexual Assault Kit Evidence Submission Act. This legislation gives transparency and accountability surrounding this issue,” said Worthy. “Law enforcement has a duty to make sure that the important evidence contained in sexual assault kits is handled, tested and analyzed in a timely manner, not only for the sake of the victim, but for the protection of the public.”

Upon review, it was discovered that the vast majority had not been submitted to the Detroit Crime Lab or the Michigan State Forensics Lab for analysis and testing. The following year, Worthy began a community partnership to process each kit. The results of the kits lead to the prosecution of 14 individuals. Additionally, the testing revealed there were 26 forensic associations, 87 forensic and offender associations and 342 offender associations for a total of 455 associations in CODIS all together.

CODIS is the combined DNA Index System that law enforcement utilizes to make identifications based on DNA. A forensic association means the DNA profile in the sexual assault kit matches an unidentified offender in CODIS. A forensic and offender association means the DNA profile matches an individual identity in CODIS as well was other cases that have been put into CODIS. Offender Association means the DNA profile of the kit matches an individual identified in CODIS.

Of the 11,000 kits found, only 1,600 have been tested. For local music artist Mahogany Jones, it is not enough.

In February, Jones released a collaboration album entitled Pure, addressing the ways in which how women are viewed and treated in today’s society. Pure also features women’s issues that are commonly “ignored” and “swept under the rug.”

Having released the project, Jones began researching more ways to make an impact and finally discovered that March Mariska Hargitay, who portrays Detective Olivia Benson on Law and Order: SVU, was coming to Detroit to raise awareness with Prosecutor Worthy. Hargtitay is the founder and president of Joyful Heart Foundation, which advocates for ending sexual assault kits backlog.

Jones connected with Jayne Marie Smith and the pair decided to bring Denim Day to Detroit in hopes of raising money to end the backlog of sexual assault kits. Denim Day occurs every fourth Wednesday in April around the United States and Latin America. http://www.rizzarr.com/2014/04/23/denim-day-in-detroit/

3/9

1/4/2015

Denim Day: A Chance To Support the Victims Of Sexual Assault & Raise Awareness - RIZZARR

“When we heard the number – that it over thousands and from decades [ago], we were incensed,” said Jones. “We said we have to do Denim Day and we have to raise money.”

Jones partnered with PURE Magazine, 5e Gallery and the Foundation to present Denim Day Detroit on April 23 from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. It features live music, poetry, talk show- style discussion, photo shoots, and other activities to promote awareness and end victim blaming.

Jones claims that all of the money raised from the event at 5e Gallery is going to be donated to the Prosecutors Office to help with the backlog. She adds that counselors were on site during the event as well.

People who attended or want to donate can go directly to the website: www.endthebacklog.org.

Jones hopes people realize sexual assault is something both survivors as well as those who care about them deal with. Her hope is that the awareness project and the donations don’t stop with Denim Day.