AUSTIN, Texas — With the passage of a bill establishing a tracking system for evidence in sexual-assault cases, Texas has become the first state to implement comprehensive rape-kit reforms.

There are an estimated 20,000 or more untested rape kits sitting in evidence lockers around the state, but new regulations are aimed at ensuring the backlog is identified and tested, and that new kits are processed without delay.

Ilse Knecht, director of policy and advocacy with the Joyful Heart Foundation, a national advocacy group for rape survivors, said the goal of rape kit reform is to provide justice for those who experience sexual assault.

"Each one of these untested kits represents a survivor who has done everything that society asked them to do, believing and really hoping that the kit will be tested,” Knecht said.

State lawmakers passed House Bill 281 this past session, mandating that the Texas Department of Public Safety track all rape kits from collection to analysis.

Knecht said it's part of what her group calls the "six pillars of reform," which also include identifying and testing the backlog, processing new kits, notifying victims of results and adequately funding the process.

Donna Howard, a state representative from Austin, sponsored HB 281 along with a dozen bipartisan co-sponsors. She said for assault survivors, the most important part of the bill is that it allows them to keep track of the evidence in their case.

"Because of the horrific nature of this particular crime and the repercussions in terms of not having control over what's done to your body, having the opportunity to have any control over what's going on can be very empowering,” Howard observed.

Knecht said it takes not only money to reform the system, but also a recognition of the seriousness of the problem by state lawmakers and law enforcement officials.

"What we have seen across time is that jurisdictions, while they cite the lack of resources and personnel as the largest barrier to processing rape kits, there's also been an unwillingness to prioritize sexual assault as the serious crime that it is,” she said.

Knecht estimated that there are hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits across the country. She said the goal is to pass rape-kit reform legislation in all 50 states by 2020.


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April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and Ohio is expanding its qualified rape crisis centers serving rural areas in the central and southeastern regions of the state.

Taylr Ucker-Lauderman, chief engagement officer with the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence, explained that qualified centers have to meet certain criteria, and typically provide crisis intervention, legal and medical assistance, counseling and referrals to other local resources. She said collaboration among centers to assist sexual abuse survivors and educate the public about violence prevention is critical.

"One really exciting outcome of 2023 is that we did see two additional rape crisis centers identified as qualified rape crisis centers, which means that they are supported by the Alliance," Ucker-Lauderman said.

One in four women and about one in 26 men have experienced completed or attempted rape, according to the CDC. If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline. It's available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 800-656-4673.

Ucker-Lauderman added survivors of sexual assault often need housing and other basic resources, noting these services are especially needed in geographically isolated areas, and are often unavailable if domestic violence isn't co-occurring. Rape crisis centers may be one of the few options sexual violence survivors have.

"That means increasing the capacity of the service providers across the state, making sure that they have the training that they need, the funding, the staff," she said.

Molly MacMath, executive director of COMPASS Rape Crisis Center in Northeastern Ohio, said while centers, hospitals and police departments play a critical role in preventing sexual violence, communities should be working to come up with creative ways to approach the issue.

"There's so many other entities within our communities that really play a role in the awareness and prevention of violence," MacMath said.

According to Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence's annual report, last year rape crisis centers across the state provided 556 nights of shelter through the Alliance's Meaningful Access Housing Program.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. Advocates for sexual assault survivors in Idaho and across the country are pushing for a more inclusive view of who is impacted by this issue.

Trans, nonbinary and other gender-expansive individuals have largely been left out of data concerning sexual assault.

Amanda Goodson, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Security Studies at the University of Texas at El Paso.

She said the lack of data has started to change in recent years, but trans and nonbinary people face unique challenges for reporting violence.

"When they go to report experiencing - especially sexual victimization," said Goodson, "they have heightened barriers, or there may not be services that are available to their needs because we didn't have that or we didn't know about that experience."

Goodson said recognizing someone's identity can improve how we respond to their assault. Last week, Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed a bill banning the use of public funds for gender-affirming care.

Black Liberation Collective is a collection of trans youth in Idaho.

Program Director Paradise Newton said the lack of inclusion of gender-expansive people is telling, because data provides a "moral document" showing who we prioritize in our culture.

"Including trans and nonbinary people in our reporting about sexual assault is one of many necessary ways we can ensure that we accurately share information," said Newton. "But it is also one of many necessary ways we can be accountable to the survivors in our communities."

Goodson said it's important to be critical of data and understand who is included and missing. She said this will better serve people impacted by sexual assault.

"Having inclusive practices and having inclusive services and data that is inclusive as a whole," said Goodson, "will give us a better idea of how we can improve our responses."




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More than 100 Ohio advocates gathered this week to speak with lawmakers about policies affecting survivors of intimate-partner violence, including a bill which would make it a crime to place a tracking device on another person's property without their knowledge.

Sen. Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, the Senate Democratic leader sponsored the bill and explained the measure would make installing devices such as Apple AirTags for the purpose of stalking or tracking an individual without consent a first-degree misdemeanor.

"There's nothing in the law right now in Ohio, in the stalking part of the code anywhere, that really addresses using these tracking devices, because they're new technology," Antonio explained.

At least 26 states and the District of Columbia have already passed laws protecting privacy concerns raised by tracking technology, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Mary O'Doherty, executive director of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, said it is important legislators hear directly from advocates who work with survivors every day. She pointed to House Bill 111, which recently passed the House and is now being considered by Senate lawmakers. The bill would increase the sentencing range for third-degree felony domestic violence offenses.

"We support that bill because we believe it will increase offender accountability and help victims be more safe," O'Doherty emphasized.

Last year, 112 Ohioans died because of domestic violence, according to the Ohio Domestic Violence Network's fatalities report.