Every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted. Only 3% of rapists spend a day in jail.
April is Sexual Abuse Awareness Month. This year, the United Way of Greater Milwaukee is partnering with the City of Milwaukee Health Department, the Mayor's office and Aurora Health Care in an effort to raise awareness of the impact of sexual abuse to women.
Denim Day is a national campaign that started in Italy, when a woman was raped by her driving instructor. The judge dismissed his case because the woman was wearing tight jeans, which she had to help her attacker take off. Even though the woman was ordered to take off her jeans, the judge declared this an act of consent and not rape. Women in Italy protested this decision by wearing tight jeans to the courts.
Now, United Way of Greater Milwaukee is encouraging you to participate in Denim Day on April 24th. "People like the opportunity to get involved in the issues important to them, but don't know how to do it," says Dawn Helmrich from the Untied Way. "Denim Day is a gender neutral, non-threatening way to let people know you support the victims of sexual abuse."
To find out how you can help, encourage your office to participate and raise money for sexual abuse support programs at Aurora Health Care, head over to Facebook.com/DenimDayMilwaukee.