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| Long title | An Act to establish certain rights for sexual assault survivors, and for other purposes. |
|---|---|
| Enacted by | the 114th United States Congress |
| Effective | October 7, 2016 |
| Citations | |
| Public law | Pub. L. 114–236 (text) (PDF) |
| Statutes at Large | 130 Stat. 966 |
| Codification | |
| U.S.C. sections created | 18 U.S.C. § 3772 |
| U.S.C. sections amended | 42 U.S.C. § 10601, 42 U.S.C. § 10603 |
| Legislative history | |
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The Survivors' Bill of Rights Act of 2016 (Pub. L. 114–236 (text) (PDF)) is a landmark civil rights and victims rights legislation in the United States that establishes, for the first time, statutory rights in federal code for survivors of sexual assault and rape. The law impacts nearly 25 million estimated rape survivors in the United States.[1] This legislation was passed by the United States Congress in September 2016 and signed into law by US President Barack Obama on October 7, 2016.[2]
The law overhauls the way that rape kits are processed within the United States and creates a bill of rights for victims. Through the law, survivors of sexual assault are given the right to have a rape kit preserved for the length of the case's statute of limitations, to be notified of an evidence kit's destruction, and to be informed about results of forensic exams.[2] The main aim is to overhaul how assaults are reported, and lessen the burden on those who were assaulted, who are often discouraged by the amount of hurdles that they have to go through.[3][4][5]
- ^ "Obama Signs Historic Sexual Assault Survivors' 'Bill of Rights'". Retrieved November 23, 2016. Archived 2016-10-09 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Text - H.R.5578 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): Survivors' Bill of Rights Act of 2016". 7 October 2016. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
- ^ Prakash, Nidhi (24 February 2016). "This bill could change how the legal system treats survivors of sexual assault". Fusion. Archived from the original on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ Arter, Neesha (4 February 2016). "Navigating the broken system was worse than the rape itself". New York Times. Archived from the original on 27 June 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ Redden, Molly (23 February 2016). "Meet the 24-year-old who could change how the US handles sexual assaults". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 February 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016.