Redondo Beach, Los Angeles County Mark 'Denim Day'

Men and women across Los Angeles County, including in Redondo Beach, wore jeans Wednesday for "Denim Day," which was started by the group Peace Over Violence in 1999 to raise awareness of sexual violence.

The organization initiated Denim Day after the Italian Supreme Court overturned a rape conviction, citing in part the victim's tight jeans. According to the justices, the victim must have helped the suspect unbutton the jeans, giving consent.

During a recent City Council meeting, Redondo Beach Mayor Mike Gin proclaimed April to be "Sexual Assault Awareness Month." He also recognized the city as being only one in four in the state whose police department has a fully certified spousal abuse investigation program.

Peace Over Violence told City News Service that more than 2 million people took part in Monday's events. 1in6.org, a group that supports male survivors of sexual abuse, partnered with Peace Over Violence for this year's events.

School campuses across Los Angeles County also held assemblies.

"I am very proud of our students who are making their voices heard, loud and clear, against sexual assault and domestic violence," Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy said. "I encourage the entire LAUSD family to come together and wear jeans as a visible sign of protest against he misconceptions that still surround sexual violence, and to support the countless survivors of this senseless violence."

In conjunction with an event at the Los Angeles City Council, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck announced the LAPD had finished testing a backlog of DNA rape kits.

"We are proud of the LAPD's swift and aggressive approach to eliminate the untolerable backlog of these tests," Villaraigosa said. "Today we pledge to never let justice wait like this again."

City News Service contributed to this report.