Newsletter: Summer 2004: Legislative Awareness Day

The annual Legislative Awareness Day in Albany provides an opportunity each year for advocates, survivors, allies, and legislators to unite for the purpose of generating awareness, creating change, and dialoguing about issues surrounding sexual assault.  The legislative agenda for this year’s  “A Day to End Sexual Violence,”  hosted by the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault, focused on four main areas: resources to sustain programs, greater access to services for survivors and their loved ones, improving safety and strengthening the legal response to sexual violence, and enhanced community education.

The Alliance, in partnership with the Downstate Coalition for Crime Victims, direct service programs and two new groups – Voices of the Faithful (VOTF) and The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) – brought attention to the priorities for New York City and its surrounding areas.  These included resources to sustain programs, the statute of limitations, safety in schools and the proposed  cap on reimbursement from the NYS Crime Victims Board for medical expenses following catastrophic injury.

Programs showcased their counseling, advocacy and prevention activities and described underserved areas and what they could do with additional resources.  Funding for rape crisis programs comes from the Assembly and governor, and while it has remained mostly level, it is not adequate to deal with the city’s service needs.  Federal funds for Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner Programs, administered by the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services and the NYS Crime Victims Board, have decreased over the past few years.  In New York City, there are not enough SAFE programs to ensure that every rape victim can access the highest level of care available.

Groups informed the legislators about the long-term effect of sexual assault/abuse on survivors.  The members of SNAP and VOTF described their frustration at their inability to hold perpetrators accountable both civilly and criminally.  Service providers expressed their concerns that the proposed cap on Crime Victims Board reimbursement for catastrophic injury flies in the face of the purpose of the reimbursement program for the most severely affected crime victims.

A day trip to Albany is long, exhausting but somehow exhilarating.  Meeting face-to-face with legislators and their staff is key to ensuring that the voices of survivors and service providers are heard as legislation is crafted to address the significant issues affecting us all.

Faith Huckel is the Social Work Student Policy Intern at the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault. [[2] more]

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[1]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/newsletter_author_108.html
[2]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/newsletter_author_108.html
[3]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/newsletter_article_166.html
[4]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/newsletter_article_168.html

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