Sailors, Marines and civilian employees at Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit (CNATTU) North Island in Coronado participated in the command's 2nd annual Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Walk April 27.

The 5K SAPR Campus Walk, during which participants wore denim jeans and command sponsored shirts, was designed to reflect CNATTU's dedication to the Navy guidelines of a culture free of sexual assault through an environment of prevention, education and training.

CNATTU North Island Instructor and SAPR Victim Advocate Aviation Support Equipment Technician 2nd Class Angela Derks said she believes events such as this serve to educate as well as demonstrate the bond U.S. Navy Sailors and civilians share.

"The wrongs of sexual assault unite us," said Derks. "We stand for the unheard-of and known survivors. We further unite through the right morals, the culture we strive to foster, and the daily environment we choose to create."

Derks added the walk was scheduled in April which is designated Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, and specifically on National Denim Day, observed April 27.

National Denim Day is the direct result of an Italian Supreme Court case that drew international attention, effectively shifting the view of sexual assault. The 1992 case involved a 45-year-old driving instructor who was convicted and sentenced for raping an 18-year-old student who subsequently pressed charges. The charges were overturned by the Italian Supreme Court in 1998, which ruled because the victim had been wearing tight jeans, she must have had to help her attacker remove them making the act consensual.

The conviction was overturned and dismissed and women serving in the Italian Parliament protested the ruling by wearing denim jeans to work. In 2008, the Italian Supreme Court has overturned its findings, and there is no longer a "denim" defense to the charge of rape.

CNATTU North Island is a training unit of the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. CNATT develops, delivers, and supports aviation technical training at 27 sites located throughout the continental United States and Japan.

CNATT is a technical training agent for the Naval Aviation Enterprise, an organization designed to advance and sustain Naval Aviation warfighting capabilities at an affordable cost, and is the largest training center under Naval Education and Training Command.

For more news from Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training, visit http://www.navy.mil/.