by David Corrigan

HILO, Hawaii – In observance of Denim Day, the Zonta Club of Hilo and the County of Hawaii Prosecutor’s Office gathered at the King Kamehameha statue at Hilo Bay Front Wednesday afternoon, to stand up against sexual violence.

The groups joined other men and women around the world in wearing denim to raise awareness around rape and sexual violence issues, and support survivors of sexual assault.

Prosecutor Mitch Roth told the group about the importance of advocating for the victims in these crimes.

Sign waving followed along the highway.

Denim Day is a global movement in protest of a 1999 Italian Supreme Court case that overturned a rape conviction on the basis of the victim’s choice of clothing. The High Court believed that the victim consented to having sex as her jeans were so tight, the perpetrator could not have removed them without her assistance. The victim’s jeans have become a symbol of awareness—what someone wears is never an excuse for rape.