Nidhi Prakash/Fusion
There are few things more traumatizing than a woman having to deal with the harrowing effects of rape.
But for some survivors in Massachusetts, the pain continues to linger long after the assault, due to the legal system that destroys rape kits after 6-months unless the victim files an extension. Amanda Nguyen, a 24-year-old survivor of sexual assault, is trying to change that. Thanks to her advocacy, a bill is being introduced in the Senate today called the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act. It could change how victims of sexual assault are treated by the legal system, increasing the specific protections for them nationwide.
Amanda Nguyen’s debacle with her rape kit in Massachusetts caused her to wonder what the law guaranteed in other states. Photograph: Amanda Nguyen.
Nguyen is currently the White House’s deputy liaison at the State Department and training to be an astronaut. Nguyen established her sexual assault survivors advocacy group Rise after being raped and going through a harrowing process with the legal system in Massachusetts.
The bill would make filing and following up on a sexual assault complaint less onerous for survivors, who may find it difficult to seek justice when they’re faced with many hurdles and not much support.
Although there is a 15-year statute of limitations for survivors to decide whether or not to file charges, the state destroys rape test kits after six months unless survivors file for an extension–that’s something Nguyen still has to do every six months.
Some states have more comprehensive legal protections for survivors than others, but the bill would set a new national standard requiring that they have access to sexual assault counselors and information about their rights. It would also create greater transparency around rape test kits, thousands of which remain untested in police departments around the country (partly due to a lack of resources and a lack of legal compulsion to check the tests). Under the proposed law, survivors who submit a rape kit would have the right to know where the kit is and whether it has been tested.
The bill was introduced in the house of representatives last year, with bipartisan support.
To read more, click here:
http://fusion.net/story/271858/sexual-assault-survivors-rights-act-amanda-nguyen/
