RAINN Press

Too often, when survivors come forward to tell their stories, they are met with bad faith lawsuits trying to silence them. Thanks to a new law in California, survivors will be better protected from the risks, and costs, of lawsuits. Following a campaign led by survivor Victoria Burke and supported by RAINN, the legislature passed AB 933, which was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The bill, sponsored by Assembly Members Cecilia Aguiar-Curry and…

A 4992 would clear the way to establish patterns of behavior in prosecution of sex crimes in New York New York, N.Y. – Today, Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, RAINN, and a coalition of New York City-based anti-sexual violence organizations are calling on New York lawmakers to support a bill that would stop the kind of ruling reversal that undermined the state’s 2020 case against Harvey Weinstein and subjected survivors who testified…

Victory for Survivors: New Law Protects Survivors Who Report Sexual Offenses Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves Signs RAINN-supported Bill Into Law Jackson, M.S. – April 2025, Mississippi takes a powerful stand for survivors with the enactment of HB 861 and SB 2313, landmark legislation designed to protect those reporting sexual assault. These crucial laws provide limited immunity from prosecution for alcohol and drug misdemeanors to survivors and witnesses who come forward to report sexual offenses. “Today,…

Washington, D.C. (September 13, 2023) – RAINN released the following statement after a House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee for Crime and Federal Government Surveillance hearing to address the various threats of exploitation children in the U.S. face: Today, the House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee for Crime and Federal Government Surveillance held a hearing to address the issue of children being sexually exploited and abused online, child trafficking, the technology sector’s role in preventing and protecting children from…

Washington, D.C. (September 27, 2023) – The failure to test rape kits and DNA evidence enables serial perpetrators to commit violence with impunity. A bill introduced today in the House of Representatives will help fix that. The Rape Kit Backlog Progress Act, sponsored by Reps. Nancy Mace (R-SC-1) and Barbara Lee (D-CA-12), and endorsed by RAINN, would strengthen reporting requirements and give the public vital information about the status of DNA evidence kit backlogs across…

Washington, D.C. – A bipartisan group of members of Congress introduced a bill to prioritize the rescue of children in efforts to interdict child sexual exploitation offenders by providing law enforcement and prosecutors with new resources and tools. Sens. John Cornyn, Amy Klobuchar, Chuck Grassley, Marsha Blackburn, Lindsey Graham, Richard Blumenthal, and Chris Murphy and Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Wesley Hunt yesterday introduced the Project Safe Childhood Modernization and Reauthorization Act. This bill updates…

Washington, D.C. – A bipartisan group of members of Congress introduced the Debbie Smith Act of 2023. This bill reauthorizes funding towards public crime laboratories to process DNA evidence from rapes and other violent crimes. At any given time, there are thousands of rape kits sitting in law enforcement evidence rooms or awaiting testing at state and local labs. These rape kits often times contain the DNA of violent sexual offenders who have not yet…

Law Enforcement Reports Historic Levels of Child Sexual Abuse Images and Videos Distributed Online Washington, D.C. (April 20, 2023) – A bipartisan group of Members of Congress is trying to end the legal loophole that gives technology companies immunity from liability for hosting images of child sexual abuse on their platforms. The Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies (EARN IT) Act, introduced today by Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Lindsey Graham, and Reps. Ann…

Washington, D.C.— A bipartisan group of Congressional members introduced the END Child Exploitation Act. This bill would require internet service providers (ISPs) to retain metadata on those who proliferate child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) for a full year. Under current law, they are free to delete this information after 90 days, which hampers law enforcement’s ability to prosecute these crimes. “We are seeing an avalanche of child sexual abuse material coming from every corner of…

Legislation Could Aid Investigation of Reports of Online Sexual Exploitation of Children and Prevent the Further Spread of Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM) Washington, D.C. (August 9, 2023) – Today, U.S. Representatives Ann Wagner (MO-R-2) and Sylvia Garcia (TX-D-29) introduced legislation to aid law enforcement in effectively investigating reports of online sexual exploitation and abuse of children. More than half of reports submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline lack…

Today’s “guilty” verdict on the charge of transportation to engage in prostitution and the “not guilty” verdict on the charge of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion in the United States vs. Sean Combs trial is a complex reflection of how survivors of sexual violence can find justice. Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo called the relationship between Sean Combs and Cassie Ventura a “great modern love story.” There’s nothing modern or great about abusing your…

RAINN Named Winner of 2024-2025 Amazon Web Services IMAGINE Grant for Nonprofits RAINN will use AWS generative AI to create on-demand crisis hotlines and additional support mediums. This solution will integrate RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline directly into social media, gaming, and social networking sites. Washington, D.C. (December 3, 2024) — RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, today announced it has been selected as a winner of the 2024 Amazon Web Services (AWS) IMAGINE…