Women in Richmond County are being asked to wear jeans to work and elsewhere Monday in support of Sexual Assault Awareness Month; and to donate $5 in support of the work of New Horizons: Life and Family Services in Rockingham.

The jeans are being worn to emphasize the Jeans for Justice Campaign, said Crystal McLendon, executive director, of New Horizons.

Teal-colored ribbons are being distributed throughout the community to be worn all month as a reminder of Sexual Awareness Month. You can call 997-4840 to obtain one.

Joining New Horizons in emphasizing the needs for more awareness are employees of the Richmond County Department of Social Services and Richmond County Community Corrections, two agencies that see the results of assaults on a regular basis.

While law enforcement is kept busy in Richmond County reporting on cases of physical assaults on females, McLendon said sexual assaults are not so commonly reported.

“Sexual assault includes touching of a sexual nature, child sexual assault, incest, rape and drug-facilitated assault,” she said.

The 2005 National Crime Victimization Survey showed that only 38.8 percent of total rapes were reported to police.

“We would like to encourage anyone who experiences a sexual assault to report it to the authorities,” McLendon said. “Victims should take no blame upon themselves or feel any shame.”

The Jeans for Justice Campaign was organized after a 1999 rape case in Italy where a court overturned a rape case on the grounds that the court said it was physically impossible for a person to remove a woman’s jeans against her will and without her help.

“What a person wears is not an excuse for sexual assault,” McLendon said.

Following the Italian appeals court ruling, Italian female lawmakers wore jeans to parliament in protest, and the effort spread.

“Wearing jeans Monday will be a sign of opposition against negative stereotypical attitudes toward sexual assault victims,” she said.

McLendon said one in five women in North Carolina has been sexually assaulted at some point in their lives. “Every two minutes someone in the United States is sexually assaulted,” she said.

And, 73 percent of those assaults are committed by someone known to the victim.

“No victim should have to suffer in silence,” McLendon said. “As a community we must stand up and send a clear message that sexual assault will not be tolerated. We must offer victims our support and encouragement.”

Toward that effort, New Horizons operates a 24-hour crisis line at 997-4840. The organization provides individual counseling and group counseling, advocacy and support to victims of sexual assault. Such services began over 20 years ago in the county.

Web sites with information on sexual assault include: www.rainn.org (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network with a hotline at [800] 656-HOPE) and www.nccasa.org (N.C. Coalition Against Sexual Assault).

There are currently 79 rape crisis centers operating in North Carolina.

New Horizons is a nonprofit United Way partner agency relying on financial support from the community.

n Contact reporter Tom MacCallum at 997-3111, ext. 15; e-mail tmaccallum@yourdailyjournal.com.