Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3 Seabees wore denim jeans and teal ribbons to work at Port Hueneme Naval Base Ventura County in support of Denim Day, April 2.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM), and Denim day is an event at which people come together and protest sexual assault by wearing jeans (denim).

Denim day was created to help raise awareness of sexual assault because of a rape case that happened in Rome, Italy, in 1997. An 18-year-old girl was raped and abandoned in an alley by her 45-year-old driving instructor. She reported the incident, and the instructor was convicted of rape and was sent to jail.

The perpetrator appealed the sentence to the Italian Supreme Court. The conviction was overturned because the victim wore tight jeans.

In a statement by the Chief Judge, he argued, "because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it was no longer rape but consensual sex."

The ruling triggered a worldwide protest. Women in the Italian Parliament protested by wearing jeans to work.

"One is too many," said Chief Utilitiesman James Marquez, Sexual Assault and Response point of contact (SAPR POC).

According to Marquez, denim day is designed to educate people about sexual assault.

"Statistically, sexual assault has been decreasing because Sailors have a better understanding of what sexual assault is through training, however, sexual assault still occurs," said Marquez. "Wearing jeans on this day has become an international symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual assault."

The Naval Construction Force is a vital component of the U.S. Maritime Strategy. The force provides deployable battalions capable of providing disaster preparation and recovery support, humanitarian assistance and combat operations support.

For more news from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3, visit www.navy.mil/.