What We Do
Sexual assault often creates a destructive ripple in a victim’s
life. Survivors may be in so much physical danger that it is not
safe to attend classes, go to work or even continue to live in their
home. As they pursue legal justice, their privacy may be invaded
or they may lose their job due to absences to attend legal hearings.
In fact, some survivors may even have their immigration status threatened.
A ripple of associated harms can literally destroy a victim’s
life.
In light of these dangers, the Victim Rights Law Center engages
in three primary activities:
Free Legal Services
Currently 140 Pro Bono Attorneys and paraprofessional volunteers from over 25 law firms in the Boston area and Suffolk
University Law School’s Clinical Programs help us to serve
350 sexual assault victims every year, many of whom are adolescents,
linguistic minorities, low-income survivors and survivors with disabilities.
Our attorneys focus on the following legal matters:
All of our legal help is free and confidential
and can be provided in Spanish, French, and Haitian-Creole.
Legal Training
VRLC is committed to improving the lives of rape survivors by training
attorneys and law students in Boston and across the nation to join
our mission and successfully represent the legal rights of all sexual
assault survivors. The justice system is becoming more responsive
to the needs of sexual assault victims.
Pro Bono Attorney Training Program
Through a collaboration with the Women’s
Bar Foundation of Massachusetts, the VRLC has recruited and
trained a panel of over 140 pro-bono attorneys and paraprofessionals. Together, these volunteers provide
zealous advocacy and legal representation for our clients.
Suffolk
University Law School's Clinical Programs
Since 1999, VRLC has been actively training Suffolk law students
to represent sexual assault survivors. Suffolk law students assist
VRLC attorneys in providing free legal services and effective
legal advocacy while receiving a rich legal learning experience.
On-Line Attorney Practice Manual
Anyone in the world can now download VRLC’s Attorney Practice
Manual, which covers nine areas of practice related to sexual
assault, including privacy, housing, education, employment, financial
compensation, immigration, and victims’ rights in the criminal
justice system. By making this manual easily available, law practices
around the world can become more responsive to the needs of sexual
assault survivors.
Community Partnerships
The power of the VRLC comes from our community partnerships. We
have helped weave a broad safety net of sexual assault services
in Boston. Our goal with these collaborations is to prevent a one-time
sexual assault from causing a lifetime of medical, mental health
and socio-economic damage.
Boston’s Sexual Assault “Safety Net”
Together, the Victim Rights Law Center, The
Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC)and the Massachusetts
Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program (SANE) are working actively
to create a safety net for sexual assault victims in Boston.
Survivors seeking services at a SANE hospital or at BARCC are
notified about VRLC’s free legal services.
SurviveRape.org
With over 80,000 female college students in the Boston area, research
indicates that approximately 2800 sexual assaults will occur annually.
Even more staggering, only 5% of these victims will report the
incident to campus authorities or law enforcement. (National
Institute of Justice)
Since 2001, the Victim Rights Law Center has worked closely with
Emerson College, the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, the Boston
Police Department, the MA Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners program,
the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, and over fifteen
Boston area universities to produce surviverape.org and a thirty-five
minute film (Survivors’ Stories Video).
Both are dedicated to reaching out to this extremely ‘at
risk’ youth population. Both provide college students with
accurate, up-to-date information about sexual assault.
To view the video, “Survivors’ Stories,” please
contact us.
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