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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING APRIL AS NATIONAL SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH AND APRIL 30, 2025, AS "DENIM DAY"
WHEREAS, April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month; and
WHEREAS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over half of women and nearly 1 in 3 men in the U.S. have experienced sexual violence involving physical contact during their lifetimes; and
WHEREAS, more than 4 in 5 female rape survivors reported being first raped before age 25, with almost half being first raped as minors; and
WHEREAS, the CDC states that 47% of transgender individuals experience sexual violence; and
WHEREAS, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) reports that, on average, there are 433,648 victims of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States; and
WHEREAS, RAINN data indicates that every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted, and every 9 minutes, that victim is a child; and
WHEREAS, RAINN states that only 310 out of every 1,000 rapes are reported, only 50 of every 1,000 rapes lead to arrest, and only 25 of every 1,000 lead to conviction in the U.S.; and
WHEREAS, RAINN also notes that 7 out of 10 rapes are committed by someone known to the victim, and 82% of sexual assaults by a friend or acquaintance go unreported; and
WHEREAS, among graduate and professional students, 9.7% of females and 2.5% of males experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation; and
WHEREAS, the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence (NCDSV) reports that 15,000-19,000 individuals with developmental disabilities are raped each year in the U.S.; and
WHEREAS, individuals who experience sexual assault are three times more likely to suffer from depression, six times more likely to develop PTSD, thirteen times more prone to alcohol abuse, twenty-six times more likely to abuse drugs, and four times more likely to contemplate suicide; and
WHEREAS, among undergraduate students, 26.4% of females and 6.8% of males experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation; and
WHEREAS, the Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care has reported a substantial global increase in sexual violence cases since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS, over the years, Peace Over Violence, a sexual and domestic violence prevention center based in Los Angeles, California, has hosted the Denim Day campaign on a Wednesday in April to honor Sexual Assault Awareness Month; and
WHEREAS, the Denim Day story began in Italy in 1992 when an 18-year-old girl was raped by her 45-year-old driving instructor during her first driving lesson. He took her to a secluded road, forcibly removed her jeans, and assaulted her; and
WHEREAS, after she reported the rape, the perpetrator was arrested, prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced to jail; and
WHEREAS, years later, the Italian Supreme Court overturned that conviction using the "jeans alibi"-the justices argued that because she was wearing tight jeans, she must have assisted the rapist in removing them, thereby implying consent; and
WHEREAS, the next day, women in the Italian Parliament wore jeans to work in solidarity with survivors; and
WHEREAS, the Denim Day campaign became formalized in the United States in 1999, where people wore denim in solidarity with women in the Italian Parliament; and
WHEREAS, since then, wearing jeans or other denim apparel on Denim Day has served as a symbol of protest against erroneous and harmful attitudes towards sexual harassment, abuse, assault, and rape; and
WHEREAS, in this sexual violence prevention and education campaign, community members, elected officials, businesses, and students are encouraged to make a social statement by wearing denim on this day as a visible protest against the misconceptions surrounding sexual violence.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners recognizes Wednesday, April 30, 2025, as the 26th Annual Denim Day and seizes this opportunity to raise awareness of this issue and advocate for survivors.
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