McCaskill Applauds White House Efforts to Combat Rape and Sexual Assault

Press Release

Senator praises expanded executive action, including task force to protect students

Former sex crimes prosecutor and U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today applauded the creation of the White House Task Force on Protecting Students from Sexual Assault, a new initiative from the White House Council on Women and Girls that aims to make college campuses safer for America's students.

"Our fight to curb the unacceptable rate of sexual assault in the military has garnered a lot of the media spotlight this past year, but this kind of crime isn't exclusive to our Armed Forces," McCaskill said. "Sexual assault is far too common across America-particularly among our students and young people, where one in five women is estimated to have been raped. The formation of this task force is a good step, and I hope it will draw on the historic reforms enacted in last year's defense bill-which are already being implemented in the military to protect and empower victims, boost prosecutions of predators and hold military commanders accountable-and that are transforming our military justice system into one of the most victim-friendly systems in the world."

The new task force will provide best practices to schools in methods to prevent sexual assault, improve transparency of the federal government's enforcement activities, and work with federal agencies to hold schools accountable for the prevention of sexual assault.

McCaskill was a vocal supporter of the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act, and as a senior member of the Armed Services Committee has led the fight to combat sexual assault in the military-successfully helping to shape a host of historic reforms, including:

Stripping commanders of their ability to overturn jury verdicts

Requiring civilian review if a commander declines to prosecute a case

Assigning victims their own independent legal counsel to protect their rights and fight for their interests

Mandating dishonorable discharge for anyone convicted of sexual assault

Criminalizing retaliation against victims who report a sexual assault

Eliminating the statute of limitations in rape and sexual assault cases

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