Evan Rachel Wood recalls sexual assault during congressional testimony, Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights

-  Evan Rachel Wood emotionally recalls sexual assault during congressional testimony
-  Cause Celeb: Evan Rachel Wood for sexual assault survivors’ rights
- Implementation of the Survivors Bill of Rights Act
-  Hearing on Implementation of the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights and Clearing the DNA Backlog



Evan Rachel Wood emotionally recalls sexual assault during congressional testimony
ET Online Alex Ungerman‍ Feb 28th 2018

Evan Rachel Wood understands the importance of this moment.
The Westworld star was one of several women who stood before Congress on Tuesday to offer emotional testimony advocating the passage of a Survivors' Bill of Rights Act, which would write protections for those who suffer emotional and physical sexual abuse due to assault, harassment and rape into the law.

"I'm here today to use my position as an artist, survivor, mother and advocate to bring a human voice to the population of 25 million survivors in the U.S. who are currently experiencing inequality under the law and who desperately need basic civil rights," the 30-year-old actress shared....

"Seven years after my rapes -- plural -- I was diagnosed with long-term PTSD," she shared. "I struggled with depression, addiction, agoraphobia, night terrors."

https://www.aol.com/article/entertainment/2018/02/28/evan-rachel-wood-emotionally-recalls-sexual-assault-during-congressional-testimony/23373842/



Cause Celeb: Evan Rachel Wood for sexual assault survivors’ rights
By Sarah Polus February 27, 2018

Celeb: Evan Rachel Wood, the 30-year-old star of the sci-fi HBO series “Westworld” and two-time sexual assault survivor turned advocate. Wood rose to prominence with her Golden Globe-nominated role in the 2003 flick “Thirteen.”

Cause: Passage of a bill of rights for sexual assault survivors in all 50 states. The Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act of 2016, which applies only to federal cases, was passed unanimously by Congress and signed by President Obama. The act was intended as a model for states to follow so they could enact their own measures affording rights to sexual assault survivors. The Survivors’ Bill, which was conceived by Amanda Nguyen, founder of the nonprofit Rise, has been passed by nine states so far. In those states, survivors are entitled to rights such as a free forensic medical examination and a sexual assault evidence collection kit (a.k.a. a rape kit) that is preserved on their behalf, without the risk of it being destroyed.

Scene: Seated at a table with three other women from Rise and another anti-sexual violence organization, Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), Wood addressed members of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations in the Rayburn House Office Building....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/reliable-source/wp/2018/02/27/cause-celeb-evan-rachel-wood-for-sexual-assault-survivors-rights/?utm_term=.676cca12287c




Implementation of the Survivors Bill of Rights Act
2141 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING 11:00 AM
February 27 2018

Witnesses
Amanda Nguyen CEO and Founder RISE
Evan Rachel Wood Artist and Advocate Survivor
Lauren Libby Chief of Staff, RISE Survivor
Rebecca O'Connor Vice President Rape Abuse Incest National Network (RAINN)
https://judiciary.house.gov/hearing/implementation-survivors-bill-rights-act/


Hearing on Implementation of the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights and Clearing the DNA Backlog
Written Testimony of Rebecca O’Connor of the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)
Before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations
February 27, 2018

....Rape is a crime that reaches every corner of our society – once every two minutes, an American is sexually assaulted, according to the Justice Department. Despite progress, it’s also a crime where too often the only one who pays a price is the victim. Sex offenders are less likely to go to prison than those who commit crimes of assault and battery or robbery. This is particularly concerning when you consider that rapists tend to be serial criminals, striking more than once. One underlying reason for this: More than two-thirds of sexual assaults go unreported.

That’s why RAINN is dedicated to improving
the criminal justice response to rape and enhancing and enforcing rights that support victims’ healing and participation in that system.

The Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights paints a picture of the ideal: how we expect society should respond to and support victims in the wake of sexual violence.

Providing rights that support victims’ unique needs goes to creating a system where more victims will feel comfortable reporting and more sexual predators can be held accountable...
https://judiciary.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/OConnor-Testimony-2.27.2018.pdf