The Earthquake in Sexual Assault Response: Police Leadership Can Increase Victim Reporting to Hold More Perpetrators Accountable

When the Violence Against Women Act was reauthorized in 2005, it included some briefly worded provisions that triggered an earthquake for those who respond to sexual assault. Specifically, it says that states and territories may not “require a victim of sexual assault to participate in the criminal justice system or cooperate with law enforcement in order to be provided with a forensic medical exam, reimbursement for charges incurred on account of such an exam, or both.