#RiseUp – Sexual Assault Survivor Rights Act

When the U.S. legal system nearly destroyed Amanda Nguyen’s rape kit, the 24-year-old State Department liaison to the White House and astronaut in-training, founded a non-profit (Rise), and helped craft a Sexual Assault Survivors Rights Act that was just introduced to the U.S Senate.

America leads the world in protecting citizens’ rights to liberty and equality, yet our country currently lacks baseline procedures for rape survivors depriving millions of Americans basic liberties. This bill protects the civil rights of 25 million survivors across the nation, and ensures that people who have been sexually assaulted have access to a trained sexual assault counselor and comprehensive information about victims’ legal options. The bill also gives individuals who submit to a rape kit the right to know the location of the evidence, whether the kit has been tested, and what the test results are. The bill also guarantees these rights regardless of whether the person reports the crime to law enforcement or agrees to press charges. It also creates a task force to examine how well the changes are implemented, to include representatives from diverse communities and advocacy backgrounds.

The AWB grant will enable Rise to print materials to brief at least 535 US Congress members, and pay for online ads.

You’ll definitely want to keep up with Amanda and the incredible work Rise is doing. Follow on Twitter and Facebook – AND SIGN HER PETITION!