Groups Say New Rules Weaken Protections for Sexual Assault Victims

 

Three activist¹ groups have sued the government over new guidelines on a U.S. law that protects against sexual violence at colleges and universities.

The groups Democracy Forward, the National Women’s Law Center, and the National Center for Youth Law brought the legal action.

They say new guidelines for the federal law, called Title IX, weaken support for students who say they have been sexually assaulted at American colleges. Title IX is a law that bars discrimination at U.S. colleges and universities.

U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced the changes last September.

The legal action comes one day after the sentencing of Larry Nassar, a former doctor and employee of Michigan State University. A judge sentenced Nassar to life in prison for the sexual assault of many female athletes.

Skye Perryman is a lawyer with Democracy Forward. She told VOA that the changes made in September will have a bad effect on those who might experience sexual violence.

“Individuals who’ve experienced sexual misconduct, sexual violence, and sexual assault on campuses have been chilled in their ability to bring claims because they do not believe that the system will protect them,” she said.

The organizations have said however that the Title IX law has not changed.

Catalina Velasquez is with the group End Rape² on Campus. She told VOA, “The only thing that has changed is the way the administration will interpret Title IX protections through the Department of Education.”

She added that the Department of Education guidelines are still worrying and need to be discussed urgently.

To change the law would require a new legislation to be written, proposed, and approved by the U.S. Congress.

The accused deserve a fair trial

Colleges and universities that receive federal money are required to offer a clear way for students and employees to make complaints about sexual assault. The Title IX rule also requires them to hold fair, open school investigations⁴. In addition, they must provide special medical services for victims.

Last September, the Education Department removed 2011 guidance on what colleges should do when they receive accusations⁵ of sexual assault. Education officials said the policy failed to provide fairness to both the accuser and the accused.

After releasing the new guidelines, Devos said that schools must continue to deal with these crimes. She added that, “The process also must be fair and impartial⁶, giving everyone more confidence in its outcomes.” She said that those accused of assault at schools should receive fair treatment.

Parts of the 2011 guidance required schools to permit both the accuser and accused in harassment⁷ and assault cases to appeal findings. It also said universities should complete assault investigations within 60 days.

New rules for Title IX

Both of these, and other rules have been removed since September. The guidelines permit informal mediation⁸ between the accuser and the accused instead of a formal process, if both parties agree.

Many female college students said they did not know about the new rules. They said they did not trust their university’s system to deal with sexual assault claims.

The Association of American Universities released a study on sexual assault in 2015. It said that only 25.8 percent of students reported that they were “very or extremely” knowledgeable⁹ of where to report a sexual assault at their school.

“I was one of those students,” said Emily Franklin. She is a former student who said she was raped¹⁰ during her time at St. Scholastica College.

She said the first thing she did after was wash herself and clean her room, things that victims are not supposed to do. “I had honestly not heard of rape kits¹², I didn’t know the process…I never received any of that training at my school,” she said.

Franklin graduated in May 2016. She has brought a complaint against her school for a Title IX violation¹³ with the help of SurvJustice. They are an organization that provides legal support on the issue of sexual violence.

The Education Department reports information on cases related to Title IX. The investigation³ into Michigan State University is one of hundreds of cases for Title IX violations¹⁴ related to sexual assault at U.S. universities and colleges.

I’m Phil Dierking.

Words in This Story

assault - n. the crime of trying or threatening to hurt someone physically¹⁵?

chill - v. to cause (someone) to feel afraid?

complaint - n. a statement that you are unhappy or not satisfied with something?

harassment - n. to make repeated attacks against

interpret - v. to understand (something) in a specified¹⁶ way?

impartial - adj. treating all people and groups equally?

kit¹¹ - n. a set of tools or supplies that a person uses for a particular purpose or activity?

misconduct - n. behavior or activity that is illegal or morally wrong?

outcome - n. something that happens as a result of an activity or process?

sue - v. to use a legal process by which you try to get a court of law to force a person, company, or organization that has treated you unfairly or hurt you in some way to give you something or to do something

1 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

2 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

5 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

6 impartial   

adj.(in,to)公正的，无偏见的

参考例句：

• He gave an impartial view of the state of affairs in Ireland.他对爱尔兰的事态发表了公正的看法。
• Careers officers offer impartial advice to all pupils.就业指导员向所有学生提供公正无私的建议。

7 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

8 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。

9 knowledgeable   

adj.知识渊博的；有见识的

参考例句：

• He's quite knowledgeable about the theatre.他对戏剧很有心得。
• He made some knowledgeable remarks at the meeting.他在会上的发言颇有见地。

10 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

11 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

12 kits   

衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件

参考例句：

• Keep your kits closed and locked when not in use. 不用的话把你的装备都锁好放好。
• Gifts Articles, Toy and Games, Wooden Toys, Puzzles, Craft Kits. 采购产品礼品，玩具和游戏，木制的玩具，智力玩具，手艺装备。

13 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

14 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

15 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

16 specified   

adj.特定的

参考例句：

• The architect specified oak for the wood trim. 那位建筑师指定用橡木做木饰条。
• It is generated by some specified means. 这是由某些未加说明的方法产生的。