Washington, D.C. –Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) in cosponsoring the Sexual Abuse Services in Detention Act, bipartisan legislation to establish a national hotline offering free confidential support services to incarcerated survivors of sexual abuse and harassment. A confidential national hotline would offer survivors in prisons across the country access to important emotional support resources they need.
“No one should be forced to cope alone with the mental and emotional toll of sexual assault. Incarcerated survivors of sexual assault are subject to the same trauma as anyone else and deserve to have the same access to vital counseling and support services. I’m proud to cosponsor this legislation to provide education and training to help prisons expand access to safe, confidential resources for incarcerated survivors of sexual assault.”
BACKGROUND:
Senator Cortez Masto is a long-time advocate for the improvement of sexual assault survivors’ rights. The Senator recently introduced her Fairness for Rape Kit Backlog Survivors Act of 2020, a bill aimed at ensuring that survivors of sexual assault have fair access to benefits for crime victims.
The Sexual Abuse Services in Detention Act was introduced by Senators Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Cornyn (R-Texas).
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