Victim Rights Law Center

Last updated
Victim Rights Law Center
Founded2003
FounderSusan Vickers [1]
TypeLegal services organization
Focus Sexual assault
Location
OriginsOriginally a project of the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center
Area served
United States
Key people
Stacy Malone, Esq., Executive Director
Website victimrights.org

The Victim Rights Law Center (VRLC) is a non-profit organization that provides free legal services to victims of rape and sexual assault in Massachusetts. [2] Established in 2003, it became the first nonprofit law center in the United States solely dedicated to serving the legal needs of sexual assault victims. [3] VRLC's mission is to "provide legal representation to victims of rape and sexual assault to help rebuild their lives and to promote a national movement committed to seeking justice for every rape and sexual assault victim." [4] VRLC also seeks to transform the legal response to sexual assault in the United States. [5] [6]

Contents

Victim Rights Law Center began as a project of the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center in 2000. Founder Susan Vickers focused the organization's legal services on victims assaulted by non-intimate partners. The organization became an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit in 2003. VRLC has expanded nationally after receiving a grant from the Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women. [7] Through the grant, VRLC is providing technical assistance and training to other organizations serving sexual assault victims throughout the United States. [4]

VRLC provides its clients with legal assistance and assists when they are having difficulty with employers, schools or insurance companies. [8] The organization also advocates for the rights of rape victims. [9] After a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision made it easier for defense lawyers to review mental health records of victims of sexual assault, VRLC criticized the ruling, saying it would discourage rape victims from getting counseling. [1] In 2021, VRLC was involved in a legal case challenging the 2020 Title IX Amendments. On July 28, 2021, the Massachusetts Federal District Court made a decision in Victim Rights Law Center et al. v. Cardona to vacate part of one of the Title IX provisions, 34 C.F.R. § 106.45(b)(6)(i) and sent the decision to the United States Department of Education for federal consideration. [10] [11] On August 24, 2021, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Suzanne B. Goldberg, sent out a letter to students, educators, and other stakeholders that declared the decision made in Victim Rights Law Center et al. v. Cardona to apply nationwide. [12]

Victim Rights Law Center serves:

Victim Rights Law Center's Practice Areas:


See also

References

  1. 1 2 Saltzman, Jonathan. Easier access to rape-case data criticized: Victims' advocates decry SJC decision. The Boston Globe. January 3, 2007.
  2. ↑ How VRLC Can Help , Victim Rights Law Center website. Retrieved 2025-06-25
  3. ↑ Victim Rights Law Center (VRLC) Massachusetts District Attorneys Association.
  4. 1 2 VRLC History Archived 2010-10-31 at the Wayback Machine , VRLC website. Retrieved 2010-07-08
  5. ↑ Beyond the Criminal Justice System: An Introduction to Transforming Our Nation's Legal Response to Rape. [ permanent dead link ]The Advocate's Quarterly. 2007 Issue 1.
  6. ↑ Assaulted and abandoned: Sexual assault survivors on campus often are victimized again by colleges. The Oregonian. June 19, 2010.
  7. ↑ FY 2007 Office on Violence Against Women Grant Activity by State. Archived 2010-08-05 at the Wayback Machine USDOJ: Office on Violence Against Women.
  8. ↑ Manganis, Julie. Child rape victim faces new struggles even as case ends. [ permanent dead link ]Salem News. October 20, 2007.
  9. ↑ Mindlin, Jessica (2007). Beyond the criminal justice system: using the law to help restore the lives of sexual assault victims : a practical guide for attorneys and advocates. Victim Rights Law Center. p. 148.
  10. ↑ "34 CFR § 106.45 - Grievance process for formal complaints of sexual harassment". LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
  11. ↑ "Victim Rights Law Center v. Cardona, Civil Action 20-11104-WGY | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com. Archived from the original on September 10, 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
  12. ↑ Golberg, Suzanne (24 August 2021). "Letter to Students, Educators, and other Stakeholders re Victim Rights Law Center et al. v. Cardona" (PDF). U.S. Department of Education.
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