After hours of debate, the Senate failed to vote yesterday on the Military Justice Improvement Act.
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Military Sexual Assault Victims Barred from Essential Disability Benefits
According to the report, the VA scrutinizes claims made by sexual assault victims more intently, even when they provide the kind of documentation their counterparts are not required to.
Lawmakers Push for Changes in US Military Justice System
MJIA attempts to erase the systemic obstacles that victims of sexual assault in the military face due to the “clear bias and inherent conflicts of interest posed by the military chain of command’s current sole decision-making power over whether cases move forward to a trial.”
Shutdown Threatens to Halt Rape Kits in DC
DC’s budget is under federal control, so if the federal government’s shutdown continues much longer, some of the city’s necessary programs–including those intended to help rape victims–may be temporarily discontinued due to lack of funding.
UMD Mandates Sexual Assault Education for University Community
The sexual misconduct training will be offered through different platforms, including fraternities and sororities, dormitories, freshman level courses, and potentially the Internet.
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UMD Set to Launch Sexual Assault Prevention Program
The program, dubbed Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP), will reach 300 to 600 of this fall’s incoming freshman students.
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Victim Blaming Judge Gives Rapist 30 Day Sentence
“Something is not right with our system when a judge can make that kind of decision.”
Panel-By-Panel: Recap of the 2013 National Sexual Assault Conference!
I’ll be spending the next three days in Los Angeles learning facts and strategies for combating sexual assault.
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DOE Investigating USC Classification of Rape
The University of Southern California (USC) currently classifies sexual assaults on campus as “injury response,” preventing the Los Angeles Police Department from being notified of the attack.
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14-Year-Old Victim Blamed in Court for Sexual Assault While in Juvenile Detention
Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana is arguing that a 14 year old girl in juvenile detention shares responsibility for her sexual assault by a 40 year old prison guard.
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Yale Fails Again to Handle Sexual Assault On Campus
Yale University released its annual “Report of Complaints of Sexual Misconduct” on Tuesday, revealing that all students recently accused of sexual assault continue at the school.
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House Passes Bill Investigating Discharges of Military Sexual Assault Survivors
Yesterday the House passed an amendment to the 2014 defense appropriations bill that seeks to increase support of military sexual assault victims who have faced separation from the military based on alleged mental disorders.
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USC Under Investigation for Mishandling Sexual Assault Cases
The United States Department of Education (DOE) has opened an investigation into the mishandling of sexual assault cases by the University of Southern California (USC) and Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. The DOE’s Office for Civil Rights is investigating the schools under Title IX, a law that bans discrimination on the basis of gender, and the Clery Act, which requires cases of sexual assault to be reported to the DOE.
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Sexual Battery Charges Against Air Force Officer Dropped
A charge of sexual battery against Air Force officer Jeffrey Krusinski was dropped on Thursday. He is instead being charged with assault and battery and could still face jail time.
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Gillibrand Gains New Bi-Partisan Support in Fight Against Military Sexual Assault
Today conservative Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rand Paul (R-KY) will officially announce their support for Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s provision of the National Defense Reauthorization Act that would remove cases of military sexual assault from the chain of command.
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Indian Juvenile Court Defers Verdict of Fatal Rape Case
A juvenile court in India has deferred the verdict of a 17 year old who is accused of participating in the gang-rape of a woman who later died from her injuries. He is charged with “rape, murder, destroying evidence, and other crimes including kidnapping carried out while aged 17.”
“Rape Is Rape” Bill Fails in NY Senate, Bronx Teacher Vows to Continue Her Fight for Justice
[Trigger Warning: This post contains references to sexually violent acts and threatening behavior.] Lydia Cuomo, a 27-year-old Bronx teacher, was brutally raped at gunpoint by drunken off-duty cop Michael Pena. That was in August 2011, but over the past year Cuomo has traveled to Albany, NY numerous times to tell her horrific story in hopes of finally finding […]
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UNC Faces New Federal Investigation of Sexual Assault Policies
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill is now facing a third investigation into its sexual assault policies by the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). OCR is investigating allegations that sophomore Landen Gambill faced retaliation after filing a federal complaint against the school for their inappropriate response to her report of sexual assault.
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Texas Air Force Recruiter Sentenced to 27 Years in Sexual Assault Scandal
Technical Sergeant Jaime Rodriguez was sentenced Friday to 27 years in prison for sexually assaulting over 20 women during his 13-year tenure in the Air Force.
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Women of Senate Vow to Continue Fight Against Military Sexual Assault
Speaking to MSNBC Wednesday, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) said, “You know, for 20 long years, various secretaries of defense have said these words: ‘We have zero tolerance for this kind of activity in the military and were not going to allow it.’ And every single secretary of defense never made the changes. We have to make the changes.”
