UMass Students Demand Sex Assault Victim Bill of Rights

UMass Students Demand Sex Assault Victim Bill of Rights http://ift.tt/1GLRBDX

UMass Students Demand Sex Assault Victim Bill of Rights

When we hear about sexual assaults on the news, we often think of these cases in terms of a criminal prosecution.

However, if you have been sexually assaulted, you may not only have a valid civil case against your assailant, but also his or her employer or other entity/agency which may have negligently allowed the attack to occur.

According to a recent news article from the Daily Hampshire Gazette, a rape victim at the University of Massachusetts was forced to face her alleged assailant during a student disciplinary hearing and testify. The school then allowed him to remain a student and maintain his residence on campus.

Protestors are upset the school did not provide a way for this victim to give her testimony in private, so she did not have face this man at the hearing. Students are demanding the school adopts what they refer to as Survivor's Bill of Rights. They believe such a policy would provide more protection to sexual assault victims and more consistent punishment to assailants.