Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence: What are the Differences
and Why do they Matter
Jessica Mindlin, JD, National Director of Training and Technical Assistance, Victim Rights Law Center
Laura Mahr, JD, Staff Attorney, Victim Rights Law Center
Although the field often refers to “violence against women,” victims of sexual assault differ significantly from other victims of such violence. These differences manifest in a myriad of ways, including the age of the victim, issues of victim credibility, assertions of consent, the victim’s relationship to the perpetrator, the victim’s privacy concerns, and law enforcement and public response to the victim. In addition, the legal rights and availability of legal remedies differ significantly for this victim population. To best serve sexual assault victims requires an understanding of all of these differences and tailoring services accordingly. This session will explore the unique legal hurdles faced by victims of sexual assault and address ways in which legal service providers can help overcome these hurdles, both legally and culturally. This session is geared toward advocates and criminal justice professionals with moderate knowledge of crime victims’ rights.
Jessica Mindlin is the National Director of Training and Technical Assistance for the Victim Rights Law Center (VRLC), a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the nation’s legal response to rape and sexual assault, and to leading a new response to sexual violence. The VRLC provides free legal representation to sexual assault survivors in Massachusetts, and legal technical assistance on sexual assault issues nationally. Before joining the VRLC, Ms. Mindlin was Senior Staff Attorney for NCVLI and a crime victim rights clinic instructor at Lewis and Clark Law School. She has also served as the statewide Support Unit Attorney for the Oregon Law Center and Legal Aid Services of Oregon, Coordinator of the Oregon Supreme Court-Oregon State Bar Task Force on Gender Fairness, and Legal Access Project Director for the Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. Prior to law school, Ms. Mindlin worked as a rape victim advocate, a counselor and legal advocate for battered women, a counselor for runaway youth, and a waitress. Ms. Mindlin graduated with honors from the University of Washington School of Law, where she was an Associate Editor of the Washington Law Review. Ms. Mindlin is the Co-Editor in Chief of the VRLC’s national practice manual, Beyond the Justice System: Using the Law to Help Restore the Lives of Sexual Assault Vicitms (A Practical Guide for Attorneys and Advocates), the co-author and Editor of "Rights and Remedies: Meeting the Civil Legal Needs of Sexual Violence Survivors," and author of "Child Sexual Abuse and Criminal Statutes of Limitation: A Model For Reform," 65 Wash. L.Rev.(1990), among other publications. She serves on the Advisory Council of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, the Advisory Board of NEW Leadership Oregon, and the Editorial Board of the Sexual Assault Report. Jessica was a founding member of CounterQuo, a national campaign to change the "status quo" on how we examine and respond to sexual assault.
Laura Mahr is a staff attorney at the Victim Rights Law Center (VRLC), where she provides training and technical assistance on civil legal services for victims of sexual assault to Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) programs nationwide. On behalf of the VRLC, Ms. Mahr also partners with advocates on the Farmworker Sexual Violence Technical Assistance Project, an OVW-funded partnership that provides technical assistance to OVW grantees regarding sexual assault in farmworker communities. Prior to joining the VRLC, Ms. Mahr was the Project Coordinator and Attorney for the Oregon Law Center Farmworker Program’s Project Against Workplace Sexual Assault. There, she provided holistic legal representation to Latina/o and indigenous farmworker victims of workplace-related sexual harassment and assault, addressing not only the legal, but also the healthcare and social service needs unique to farmworker communities. Ms. Mahr has15 years of community-based experience working with immigrants from Latin America. Her training in participatory education informs her lively presentation style. She is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law.
This conference is supported by Grant No. 2008-DD-BX-K001 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
