The U.S. military community in Singapore celebrated Denim Day, April 26, 2018, as part of planned activities for Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM).

The event gathered more than 60 participants from throughout the Sembawang Naval Installation community by forming a giant human symbol of a teal ribbon signifying support for SAAPM. The participants carried teal-colored balloons, during the formation of the symbol, with most wearing denim to acknowledge Denim Day.

According to the http://www.denimdayinfo.org website, Denim Day recognizes there is never an invitation to rape. This movement was sparked by the Italian Supreme Court ruling where a rape conviction was overturned because the justices felt the victim was wearing tight jeans and she must have helped her rapist remove them - thereby implying consent. For community leadership, this is an important event in the monthlong campaign.

Denim Day is celebrated around the world in support of sexual assault awareness. Although the Italian court case that inspired Denim Day occurred in 1992, wearing denim on this day has continued to inspire activism against damaging attitudes towards sexual assault, according to Tara Bennett, sexual assault prevention and response civilian victim advocate for the Singapore Area Coordinator (SAC).

"Our intention is to unite our community to stand against misconceptions that surround sexual assault and to provide education on ways to support victims," Bennett said. "Through all our 2018 SAAPM efforts, we want to work to prevent sexual assault through education and active intervention. We hope that people who have participated in our events have walked away having learned something about healthy relationships, healthy communication, or ways to actively intervene to prevent sexual assault."

While this event wrapped up Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month in Singapore, Bennett feels confident the awareness efforts held during the month of April were well received.

"We hope that the conversations we've inspired continue throughout the year as we move towards a safer, healthier military community," said Bennett.

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