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A woman in tight jeans was blamed for a man raping her. The world isn't having it.

It all goes back to 1992.

A lot of people wear denim every day. But on April 27, 2016, at least 4 million folks are wearing jeans with a purpose.


Photo via iStock.


The reason why dates back to a court case from the 1990s.

Justice failed to serve one woman, and it sparked calls for change that continue today around the world — yes, in the form of jeans.

Photo via iStock.

More than 20 years ago, a driving instructor in Italy was convicted of raping one of his students. In 1998, however, the ruling was overturned by Italy's Supreme Court.

Why? The then-18-year-old woman had been wearing tight jeans.

The justices surmised that, because tight jeans are difficult to remove, the victim must have helped in taking them off. By that standard, the court said, the interaction had to have been consensual.

Yes, a real-life supreme court ruled this way on a real-life case.

The day after the 1998 ruling, women in the Italian parliament came to work wearing jeans in an act of solidarity with the survivor.

And a movement was born.


The court eventually overturned its absurd ruling in 2008, in large part due to the amount of outrage expressed from near and far.

But every April, Sexual Violence Awareness Month, women's advocacy group Peace Over Violence encourages both women and men to wear jeans in honor of Denim Day. This year, it falls on April 27.

The campaign protests "erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual assault" around the globe. Because, unfortunately, these attitudes still persist — everywhere.

Denim Day may have resulted from an epic failure of justice in Italy in 1998. But the same injustice happens today in North America too.

In 2011, a Toronto police officer reportedly advised women "to avoid dressing as sluts" in order to be safe. Authorities in Montana brushed off an incident of rape as “probably just a drunken night in 2013.

More recently, a presidential candidate suggested college women shouldn't "go to parties where there’s a lot of alcohol" if they don't want to get get violated, andjust this past March, a Florida judge implied it was kinda sorta a rape survivor's fault because she'd done the unthinkable — she dared to attend a dance festival.

But short skirts, booze, and dancing don't cause rape. Rapists do.


Blaming victims of rape and sexual assault for their violators' crimes only allows these backward attitudes to persist, and that dissuades victims from coming forward.

That's why you may spot a few more people wearing jeans on April 27.

Millions of people have signed on in support of #DenimDay to keep this critical conversation moving forward.

More than 4 million people have signed the pledge on the Denim Day website to support survivors of assault and fight against victim-blaming. You can be one of them too.

The Denim Day movement has made it loud and clear: "There is no excuse, and never an invitation, to rape."

Learn more about Denim Day and support efforts here.

Planet

Easy (and free!) ways to save the ocean

The ocean is the heart of our planet. It needs our help to be healthy.

Ocean Wise

Volunteers at a local shoreline cleanup

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The ocean covers over 71% of the Earth’s surface and serves as our planet’s heart. Ocean currents circulate vital heat, moisture, and nutrients around the globe to influence and regulate our climate, similar to the human circulatory system. Cool, right?

Our ocean systems provide us with everything from fresh oxygen to fresh food. We need it to survive and thrive—and when the ocean struggles to function healthfully, the whole world is affected.

Pollution, overfishing, and climate change are the three biggest challenges preventing the ocean from doing its job, and it needs our help now more than ever. Humans created the problem; now humans are responsible for solving it.

#BeOceanWise is a global rallying cry to do what you can for the ocean, because we need the ocean and the ocean needs us. If you’re wondering how—or if—you can make a difference, the answer is a resounding YES. There are a myriad of ways you can help, even if you don’t live near a body of water. For example, you can focus on reducing the amount of plastic you purchase for yourself or your family.

Another easy way to help clean up our oceans is to be aware of what’s known as the “dirty dozen.” Every year, scientists release an updated list of the most-found litter scattered along shorelines. The biggest culprit? Single-use beverage and food items such as foam cups, straws, bottle caps, and cigarette butts. If you can’t cut single-use plastic out of your life completely, we understand. Just make sure to correctly recycle plastic when you are finished using it. A staggering 3 million tons of plastic ends up in our oceans annually. Imagine the difference we could make if everyone recycled!

The 2022 "Dirty Dozen" ListOcean Wise

If you live near a shoreline, help clean it up! Organize or join an effort to take action and make a positive impact in your community alongside your friends, family, or colleagues. You can also tag @oceanwise on social if you spot a beach that needs some love. The location will be added to Ocean Wise’s system so you can submit data on the litter found during future Shoreline Cleanups. This data helps Ocean Wise work with businesses and governments to stop plastic pollution at its source. In Canada, Ocean Wise data helped inform a federal ban on unnecessary single-use plastics. Small but important actions like these greatly help reduce the litter that ends up in our ocean.

Ocean Wise, a conservation organization on a mission to restore and protect our oceans, is focused on empowering and educating everyone from individuals to governments on how to protect our waters. They are making conservation happen through five big initiatives: monitoring and protecting whales, fighting climate change and restoring biodiversity, innovating for a plastic-free ocean, protecting and restoring fish stocks, and finally, educating and empowering youth. The non-profit believes that in order to rebuild a resilient and vibrant ocean within the next ten years, everyone needs to take action.

Become an Ocean Wise ally and share your knowledge with others. The more people who know how badly the ocean needs our help, the better! Now is a great time to commit to being a part of something bigger and get our oceans healthy again.

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The hobby has caught the attention of law enforcement and government agencies because urban waterways are a popular place for criminals to drop weapons and stolen items after committing a crime. In 2019, a magnet fisherman in Michigan pulled up an antique World War I mortar grenade and the bomb squad had to be called out to investigate.


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