Community Health Systems, Inc. is supporting National Sexual Assault month and Denim Day. We hope you are, too. Our staff will be wearing jeans and donating $1 per person to do so. All local proceeds from #DenimDay benefit the Sexual Assault Recovery Program (SARP) in Beloit, WI. This year’s #DenimDay is Wednesday, April 25, 2018.
The campaign was originally triggered by a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court where a rape conviction was overturned because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans she must have helped her rapist remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. The following day, the women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim. Since then, wearing jeans on Denim Day has become a symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual assault.
In 2017 and in Rock County alone, more than 157 men, women and children utilized the Sexual Assault Recovery Program (SARP) resources to guide their paths to inner-peace and healing. All services are free and confidential. SARP empowers those who have made the courageous step to break free from the silence that so many abusers have threatened.
SARP Program Director, Amanda Isunza, says she is very passionate about working directly with victims and survivors of sexual assault, “Sexual assault and other forms of abuse are very pervasive and can cause a lot of damage. I encourage our community to promote respect, equality and safety. It’s important to remember and understand that sexual assault is never the victim’s fault, under any circumstance.”
Isunza says, “We need to continue to have conversations about sexual assault at a local, regional and national level. We need to teach our younger generations about consent and respect. It is on us to make a difference. It is on us to keep the conversation relevant and in the public.”
The Sexual Assault Recovery Program provides services to the survivors (and their families) for all forms of sexual violence, including recent and past sexual assault, committed by known or unknown perpetrators, and sexual harassment. These services are bilingual (Spanish and English), provided free of charge, and include crisis intervention and support.
If you have any questions, or need help, you can call the 24-hour Crisis Line at (866)-666-4576. SARP serves women, children, and men.
Do your part – participate in #DenimDay. You can make a difference.
Information and statistics provided SARP and denimdayinfo.org
