The international media campaign marking World Down Syndrome Day, organized by World Youth Alliance Europe and World Youth Alliance Croatia, in cooperation with the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation, began a few days ago on March 4th, ahead of March 21st when World Down Syndrome Day is observed. The date (21/3) represents the three copies of chromosome 21 that are unique to people with Down syndrome, while colorful, mismatched socks are the symbol Down Syndrome Day because people with this syndrome can not be paired.
Head of the Croatian delegation of the European People's Party in the European Parliament Dubravka Šuica joined the action by putting on mismatched socks after she was nominated by HDZ MEP Ivana Maletić via Facebook. MEP Šuica subsequently invited her colleagues Angelika Niebler, Elisabetta Gardini and Milan Zver to do the same.
Many Members of European Parliament have joined the campaign ˝My opportunities, my choices˝ so that they put on mismatched socks in order to contribute to raising awareness about the problems of people with Down syndrome.
