Abril es el mes de concientización y prevención de la agresión sexual. Los defensores de los sobrevivientes de agresión sexual en Idaho y en todo el país están presionando por una visión más inclusiva de quiénes se ven afectados por este problema. Las personas trans, no binarias y otras personas de género expansivo han quedado en gran medida fuera de los datos sobre agresión sexual.

La doctora Amanda Goodson es profesora asistente en el Departamento de Justicia Penal y Estudios de Seguridad de la Universidad de Texas en El Paso. Goodson dice que la falta de datos ha comenzado a cambiar en los últimos años, pero las personas trans y no binarias enfrentan desafíos únicos a la hora de denunciar la violencia.

"Cuando van a reportar haber experimentado victimización especialmente sexual, tienen barreras elevadas, o puede que no haya servicios que estén disponibles para sus necesidades porque no teníamos o no sabíamos de esa experiencia," enfatizó Goodson.

Goodson también explica que reconocer la identidad de alguien puede mejorar la forma en que respondemos a su agresión. La semana pasada, el gobernador de Idaho, Brad Little, firmó un proyecto de ley que prohíbe el uso de fondos públicos para cuidados de reafirmación de género.

Black Liberation Collective es una colección de jóvenes trans en Idaho. La directora del programa, Paradise Newton, agrega que la falta de inclusión de personas de género expandido es reveladora porque los datos proporcionan un "documento moral" que muestra a quién priorizamos en nuestra cultura.

"Incluir a personas trans y no binarias en nuestros informes sobre agresión sexual es una de las muchas formas necesarias en las que podemos asegurarnos de compartir información con precisión. Pero también es una de las muchas formas necesarias en que podemos rendir cuentas ante los sobrevivientes de nuestras comunidades," insistió Newton.

Goodson argumenta que es importante ser crítico con los datos y comprender quién está incluido y quién falta. Además, indica que esto servirá mejor a las personas afectadas por una agresión sexual.

"Tener prácticas inclusivas, servicios y datos inclusivos, que sean inclusivos en su conjunto, nos dará una mejor idea de cómo podemos mejorar nuestras respuestas a estos problemas," aseguró Goodson.


get more stories like this via email

Advocates are urging Ohio lawmakers to preserve critical funding for rape crisis centers in the upcoming state budget.

The request comes amid deep federal cuts and growing demand for services across the state.

Supporters of House Bill 96 say the $15 million state allocation it provides would fund emergency hotlines, hospital accompaniment, legal advocacy, and education efforts.

Rosa Beltré, president and CEO of the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence, said thousands could be left without help if the bill doesn't pass.

"This is about telling survivors, 'we are here, we believe you,'" said Beltré. "'And when everything fails, we will continue to support the programs that are giving you, your autonomy, your voices, your visibility back, because it was lost in a rape.'"

Between October 2023 and September 2024, Ohio's rape crisis centers responded to over 40,000 hotline calls and provided more than 5000 hours of legal advocacy each week.

Beltré added that a gap created by a 77% drop in federal funds provided by the Victims of Crime Act could leave centers struggling to meet demand.

She said the impact of sexual violence ripples far beyond the immediate trauma.

"Within their families, within their household," said Beltré, "their mental health, their ability for sustaining a job, their ability for healing. They won't be able to contribute financially to society."

Ohio lawmakers are considering the final version of the 2026 budget in coming weeks. Advocates say preserving the full $15 million will safeguard essential services and show survivors they are not alone.

A new report showed programs serving domestic violence survivors in Ohio are stretched thin, with hundreds of people who need help being turned away due to lack of shelter.

Their advocates said maintaining state funding is critical to meet the growing demand for services.

Mary O'Doherty, executive director of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, said the latest 24-hour census highlighted the strain on programs across the state.

"During that time, our program served 2,701 victims," O'Doherty reported. "Our programs did not have enough resources to meet 347 requests for help. Most of the people who (were) turned away were looking for emergency shelter."

According to the 19th annual Domestic Violence Counts report, conducted by the National Network to End Domestic Violence, 100% of Ohio's 75 identified domestic violence programs participated in the national count on Sept. 4 of last year, providing shelter and services to thousands statewide.

The Ohio Domestic Violence Network reported one in every two people seeking help in the state was turned away during the count due to lack of funding. O'Doherty acknowledged Ohio lawmakers are under pressure to cut state spending this session but said advocates are pushing for funding to help survivors.

"There currently is $20 million in the Ohio budget for domestic violence services," O'Doherty pointed out. "Right now, there's an extraordinary amount of pressure to cut spending, public spending, and we are working hard to make sure that the Legislature keeps those funds in the budget."

As lawmakers debate the state budget, she added concerned Ohioans can contact their state senators to express support for maintaining funding for domestic violence shelters and survivor services at current levels.

New data show a 27% increase in rape kit testing across Mississippi since the state implemented a 2023 law requiring all new sexual assault evidence to be processed.

While officials report progress on addressing the backlog, advocates cautioned the full scope of untested kits remains unknown without a complete statewide inventory. The rise follows the required testing of all new sexual assault evidence, which experts said is helping to debunk common assumptions about sexual predators.

Ilse Knecht policy director for the Joyful Heart Foundation's End the Backlog initiative said testing is uncovering critical patterns about offenders.

"Rapists are not specialists. They commit all kinds of crimes, anything from homicide to burglary to domestic violence, child abuse, you name it," Knecht explained. "They commit crimes against people they know and people they don't know. They rape acquaintances and strangers, so they cross over, many of them, and they really don't stop until they're stopped."

Despite the clearance of some kits, Knecht stressed without a full audit of Mississippi's untested evidence shelved across hospitals and law-enforcement agencies, dangerous offenders likely remain unidentified.

Knecht argued the state's testing increase, while positive, only addresses part of the problem. She redirects focus to survivors, describing forensic exams as "very invasive and uncomfortable" even under ideal conditions.

"Nobody wants to go through that but survivors do it because they want that person who hurt them really to be held accountable," Knecht pointed out. "Many survivors that I talk to also say that they don't want that person to hurt anybody else."

Advocates said the findings underscore the need for continued testing and better coordination between law enforcement and victim services. As Mississippi works through its backlog, they say each processed kit could reveal connections to other unsolved crimes across the state.


get more stories like this via email