Dan Martin / news@whmi.com

April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month,” and LACASA Center is inviting the community to participate in a series of events and initiatives designed to raise awareness and show support for victims and survivors of sexual assault.

April 5th through the 18th, LACASA is teaming up with Cleary University for the “Clothesline Project,” a free exhibit featuring t-shirts created by assault victims, survivors and their supporters.

The exhibit is open to the public from 10:30am to 3pm, excluding Sundays. On April 9th, from 12-2,you will have an opportunity to hear from a survivor, and make your own t-shirt.

On the 24th, it’s “Denim Day,” raising awareness of victim blaming. Denim Day was sparked by a 1999 court case when the Italian Supreme Court overturned a rape conviction. Their reasoning was that because the victim wore tight jeans, she must have helped her assailant remove them, implying consent. The decision triggered worldwide outrage.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says over 50 percent of women and 30 percent of men have experienced physical or sexual violence.

Despite those numbers, the Federal Bureau of Justice Statistics finds that sexual assault remains the most underreported crime in America.

Find out more at the links below.