Los Angeles, CA
United States
~
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Remarks as prepared for delivery
Thank you, Sandra [Henriquez], for that kind
introduction. I want to thank you and
Delilah [Rumburg], and the entire staff of the California Coalition Against
Sexual Assault and the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape for all of your hard
work to make NSAC 2015 a huge success.
And a special thank you to all of you—presenters and participants—for
making the commitment to attend this conference and share both your passion and
your knowledge. It is truly inspiring to
be in a room with so many people working day in and day out to make a real
difference in the lives of so many victims and survivors every day. Thank you.
And, it is my honor to be here with Valerie Jarrett, Carrie
Bettinger-Lopez, and Debra Houry—just to show the true commitment of this
Administration to address the issue of sexual assault—front and center.
This year’s theme, Inspired by Progress, United by Purpose,
is particularly resonant to me. As many
of you know, in October 2014, OVW launched a national tour to commemorate the
20th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act—starting in my hometown
Brooklyn, New York. Over the past year,
I have traveled to 20 states, visited nearly 50 communities and heard from
hundreds of survivors, victim advocates, culturally-specific organizations,
medical professionals, police officers, prosecutors, judges and others about
their community’s commitment to ending domestic violence, sexual assault,
dating violence and stalking. Here are
just a few examples of what I saw: a poetry slam in Boise, Idaho, with high
school and middle school kids sharing, in rhyme, their experiences with sexual
and dating violence; a sexual assault nurse examiner program in a new hospital
on the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma; in New York City, a domestic violence
organization serving the Asian community making significant organizational
changes to provide services to sexual assault survivors; a comprehensive
program for homeless youth impacted by sexual assault in King County,
Washington; and a sexual assault prevention program created by young men in
Kake, a remote Alaska Native Village.
These visits provide us at OVW with a better understanding of how best
practices and lessons learned are playing out across the country and areas in
which we still have gaps.
Through our 20 years of work, we have learned that victims
are more likely to go to the police and through the criminal justice system if
they have a supportive advocate. That
specialized police units, prosecution units and courts with expertise in sexual
violence often result in better outcomes for victims. Effective sexual assault prevention programs
must be sustained over time – not just a one-shot deal. Victims who receive comprehensive advocacy
and services are more likely to heal and thrive than those who do not. On-going training of police, health workers,
prosecutors, judges and other professionals is instrumental in supporting
survivors and responding effectively to sexual violence. And efforts to address sexual violence are
particularly effective when they are combined and integrated into a coordinated
community response. These are just a few
examples of what we have learned.
We have recently celebrated a number of victories to improve
our nation’s response to sexual assault.
The first is an issue that I worked on for decades as an advocate—as
have many of you. Three years ago, the
Attorney General announced that the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report definition of
rape was updated from “the carnal knowledge of a woman” to account for all
forms of rape, regardless of the victim’s gender, relationship to the offender
or the mode of penetration. It also
includes instances in which the victim is incapacitated and thus incapable of
giving consent. In 2013, the department
released an updated National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Exams
and a companion guide designed to assist administrators of prisons, jails and
community confinement facilities in responding to reports of sexual assault.
And the passage of VAWA 2013 includes a greater emphasis on
sexual assault than ever before. It
includes designated funding and new purpose areas for Sexual Assault Response
Teams, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner programs and specialized law enforcement
units. These activities all promote a
coordinated response to sexual assault that is grounded in practices that
research tells us are either promising or proven effective.
Over the past few years, OVW has established a priority for
sexual assault in recognition of the lack of adequate services to victims and
the need to improve law enforcement response and increase prosecutions. And I am making two important announcements
today related to our prioritizing of sexual assault. First, I am excited to announce the release
of a new solicitation: the Sexual Assault Justice Initiative. We invite applications from prosecutors’
offices interested in adopting a set of performance measures that focus on the
use of effective prosecution strategies and victims’ experiences with the
justice process to gauge prosecutorial success.
We anticipate selecting up to eight sites to receive two-year awards of
up to $400,000 each. The solicitation is
on our website and www.Grants.gov.
Applications are due on Oct. 13, 2015.
The Sexual Assault Justice Initiative is an opportunity for prosecutors
to learn about, and implement, best practices for sexual assault prosecution.
Ending sexual violence is a priority for the Department of
Justice. But this will require creating
a culture where victims feel safe reporting the crime, where they will be
treated with respect by all of those with whom they come into contact and where
offenders are held accountable for their crimes.
We see this most recently in the national conversation about
campus sexual assault and I am happy to announce that OVW’s Campus Grant Program
is awarding $8.5 million to 27 colleges and universities in 20 states and
territories, including two in California.
This includes two Historically Black Colleges and Universities, one
Tribal College and four Hispanic-serving Institutions. With OVW funds, these campuses will enhance
victim services, implement prevention and educational programs and develop and
strengthen campus security and investigation strategies to prevent, prosecute
and respond to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking
on campuses.
In my four years at OVW, I have felt privileged to witness
the leadership and unwavering commitment of the Department of Justice and the
Obama Administration to address sexual violence. We are working to ensure that survivors everywhere
know that they have a place – and a voice – in this administration; and to
build a future where sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and
stalking are eradicated.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my
gratitude to each of you on behalf of the Department of Justice, Attorney
General Lynch, the Office on Violence Against Women and advocates, victims and
survivors across the country for the work that you do each and every day. None of us can solve these problems alone –
and we need partners like you to make change possible. Thank you.
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