The House of Representatives voted unanimously on Tuesday in favor of The Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act which guarantees sexual assault survivors access to gather and preserve physical evidence, like rape kits.
According to The Hill, “Survivors would further have the ability to request preservation of the kits for the duration of the maximum statute of limitations, and to be informed of any test results from the kits. The bill would also ensure that survivors don’t have to pay for the evidence collection.”
This bill ensures that survivors no longer have to fight, or sometimes pay, to have their rape kits preserved as evidence, or to be informed of any results for the maximum duration of the statue of limitations in their state.
Amanda Nguyen, a rape survivor and founder of the organization Rise, helped write some of the legislation. Nguyen wants to help other survivors avoid the trauma she experiences every six months when she fights to extend the preservation of her own rape kit in Massachusetts, and must relive her sexual assault. The law in Massachusetts says the kit can be destroyed if the crime isn’t reported within six months, even though the statue of limitations for rape is 15 years.
Nguyen told People, “I can’t wait for the day I can write to the forensic lab and say, ‘This is the law,’ and I will no longer need to do this. You can’t destroy my rape kit anymore – you can’t destroy anybody’s.”
The Survivor’s Bill of Rights Act also sets universal federal guidelines for protecting the rights of sexual assault survivors. Nguyen told the New York Times, “Two sexual assault survivors shouldn’t have two completely different sets of rights, just because they are in two different states.”
California legislators Mimi Walters (R) and Zoe Lofgren (D), who introduced the bill, agree that federal guidelines helps survivors navigate the system. “The uneven patchwork of laws across the country and the lack of substantive rights for sexual assault survivors prevent them from having full access to the justice system. Survivors of sexual assault have faced unspeakable trauma, and they should not face unnecessary barriers to justice,” said Walters on Tuesday.
The bill is headed to President Obama’s for approval once it is reconciled with an almost identical bill that passed unanimously in the Senate in May.
This bill is a step in the right direction to protect survivors and relieve some the trauma that’s experienced while seeking justice.
What do you think? How does this impact survivors in your state? Tell us in the comments!
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