Sexual Violence in the News | |
Child rape: Numbers paint disturbing picture in Columbus | Hundreds of children 15 and younger were reported as raped or sexually assaulted in central Ohio in the first six months of 2022. To learn the scale of the problem, NBC4 examined police records for the first six months of the year and found that 218 children reported they had been raped or sexually assaulted: 172 were girls, and 46 were boys. | | | |
What happened to me? Kids can report sexual assault | It's never a child's fault when someone is inappropriate with them or they are sexually assaulted, and experts can protect kids and their families once they know a problem exists... The Ohio Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers said it saw 6,717 sexual abuse cases in 2021 for children ranging from birth to age 18. | | | |
Deshaun Watson will be suspended for 11 games after allegations of sexual misconduct | Deshaun Watson, the controversial Cleveland Browns quarterback accused by dozens of women of sexual misconduct and assault, will be suspended for 11 regular-season games, the NFL announced Thursday. Watson must also undergo a behavioral treatment program and pay a fine of $5 million, which will be used to establish a fund to support non-profit organizations across the U.S. | | | |
House Bill 266
Regards statutes of limitation for rape and child sexual abuse
Sponsors: Representative Miranda, Representative Galonski
Committee: House Criminal Justice
HB 266 would eliminate the statute of limitations of § 2907.02 Rape, remove the spousal exemption from § 2907.02 Rape, and extend the statute of limitations for civil child sexual abuse claims from 12 years to the date the survivor reaches the age of 55.
| |
House Bill 121
Eliminate sex crime spousal exceptions; permit spousal testimony
Sponsors: Representative Lanese, Representative Boggs
Committee: House Criminal Justice
HB 121 would remove spousal exemptions from § 2907.02 Rape, § 2907.03 Sexual Battery, § 2907.04 Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a Minor, § 2907.05 Gross Sexual Imposition, § 2907.06 Sexual Imposition, and § 2907.07 Importuning.
Click here for OAESV's Fact Sheet.
| |
HRC 6 & SRC 4
Declare racism a public health crisis
House Sponsors:
Representative Howse,
Representative Crawley
Senate Sponsors:
Senator Craig, Senator Williams
Committees: House State and Local Government Committee, Senate Health Committee
Click here for more information.
| |
Erin's Law - HB 105
Regards age-appropriate child sexual abuse instruction
Sponsors: Representative Lipps, Representative Kelly
Committee: Senate Primary and Secondary Education
Status: Passed House, Referred to Senate Primary & Secondary Education Committee
Current law does not mandate education addressing the pervasive problems of sexual abuse and sexual violence. Erin's Law would require sexual abuse prevention education in grades K-6, add sexual violence prevention education in grades 7-12, and require additional training for school personnel. Ohio is a regional outlier, as Indiana, Michigan, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York have all passed Erin's Law. Erin's Law curriculum first appeared in public schools in 2009, and Ohio's legislation meets our individual state's needs for district expertise in crafting compliant lessons.
Our Erin's Law library can be accessed here.
| |
HB 199
Remove the cap on damages for noneconomic loss when a victim of rape or assault brings a tort action
Sponsors: Representative Boggs, Representative Russo
Committee: House Civil Justice Committee
This bill would remove limitations on the amount of compensatory damages for noneconomic loss in tort actions brought by a victim of rape, felonious assault, aggravated assault, assault, or negligent assault.
| |
HB 319 and SB 183
Enact Expanding Human Trafficking Justice Act
Senate Sponsors: Senators Fedor and Kunze
House Sponsors: Representatives Galonski and Richardson
Committee: House Criminal Justice Committee, Senate Judiciary Committee
| |
This bill would allow victims of human trafficking to expunge certain criminal records related to their human trafficking victimization.
Our factsheet for these bills can be accessed here.
| |
HB 256
Allow Certain Crime Victims to Terminate Rental Agreements
Sponsors: Representative Sobecki, Representative Lepore-Hagan
Committee: House Civil Justice Committee
This bill aims to enhance protections for tenant-survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence by allowing survivors the option to terminate rental agreements and prohibiting a variety of retaliatory actions from landlords against tenant-survivors, among other protections.
For more information on the link between sexual violence and housing, check out this resource from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
| |
|
HB 480
Authorize private right of action for abortion or aiding abortion
Sponsors: Representative Powell, Representative Hall
Committee: House Families, Aging, & Human Services Committee
Ohio House Bill 480 was introduced on November 2, 2021. If passed, it would ban all abortions in Ohio — going further than the Texas anti-abortion law that was argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on November 1st. OAESV is concerned because, just like Texas’s Senate Bill 8, the Ohio bill has no exceptions for rape or incest. Survivors deserve to have control over what happens to their bodies in the aftermath of rape or incest.
| |
|
HB 390
Require sex assault exam kits for trafficking in persons cases
Sponsors: Representative Lanese, Representative John
Committee: Senate Judiciary Committee (Passed House)
Ohio House Bill 390 would add trafficking in persons cases (ORC 2905.32) to the list of crimes that are required to be tested and submitted to a governmental evidence-retention entity for DNA analysis of the contents of the kit, if a DNA analysis has not previously been performed on the kit.
| |
Upcoming Trainings and Events | |
|
Military-Connected Survivors: Outreach, Advocacy and Tools for Your Toolbox
Gain knowledge about working with military-connected survivors throughout the state of Ohio.
Register by Sept. 16 here.
| |
OAESV's Legislative Newsletter is funded by a generous grant from the George Gund Foundation, a private Ohio non-profit organization that has donated $722 million dollars since 1952 to projects that advance human welfare and society. | | | | | |
