There really is something to the expression, “actions speak louder than words.”
Remember how state political leaders responded when the Boston Globe published its first explosive report about how Beacon Hill’s culture allowed sexual assault and harassment to take place largely unchecked?
Gov. Charlie Baker said that his administration had “no tolerance for this stuff.” Speaker Robert DeLeo spoke out against sexual harassment in the workplace and ordered a comprehensive review of House policies. Then-Senate President Stan Rosenberg said the Senate had a “zero tolerance policy.”
Since then, Rosenberg’s husband Bryon Hefner has been indicted on multiple counts of sexual misconduct, and Rosenberg resigned his seat after an outside investigation found that Rosenberg “knew or should have known that Hefner racially and sexually harassed Senate employees and failed to address the issue adequately.”
Meanwhile, Rosenberg’s former colleagues are showing that they understand the seriousness of the issue in a way that the governor and House may not.
The Senate has approved a Fiscal Year 2019 budget recommending a substantial increase in funding for services for sexual and domestic violence from last year’s actual spending of approximately $33.6 million to $37.6 million. If this increase survives the budget reconciliation process, which begins June 7, it would mark the first time in years that we’ve seen an increase to the line item which helps fund the network of community-based rape crisis centers around the state.
Both the governor and the House recommended keeping funding largely where it’s sat for the last few years. Unfortunately, those recommendations will not keep pace with reality. In the wake of the #MeToo movement, incoming requests at the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center for counseling services have doubled. We are not alone. Demand has increased at rape crisis centers across the country.
As the Washington Post reported last November, calls to the national hotline Rape Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) increased 10 percent right after revelations about Harvey Weinstein’s history of sexual assault first made headlines. Calls to the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center jumped by 50 percent. These increases in demand are rarely, if ever, accompanied by increases in funding.
Rape crisis centers are chronically underfunded. Many people are uncomfortable discussing sexual violence, and education and prevention grants are rarely seen in philanthropic and foundation portfolios, two sources of private funding that mitigate public funding shortfalls for human service organizations.
A 2016 survey of rape crisis centers, conducted by the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence long before #MeToo, found that more than half of the centers had waiting lists for counseling services and close to 40 percent had waiting lists for support groups and prevention education services. Roughly a quarter of the centers were grappling with an overall decrease in public funding, collectively leaving more than 100 advocate positions unfilled. Additionally, a 2016 report on grant programs under the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women detailed the need for more investment in services for rape crisis centers to address a range of unmet needs, among them high caseloads, frequent staff turnover and the impact of “vicarious trauma”—also known as “compassion fatigue”—on direct service providers.
The Government Accountability Office reported in 2016 that competing demands for funding for sexual assault survivor services prevented some states from training Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners who have specialized education and preparation in providing quality forensic medical-legal examinations and patient-centered care to survivors.
A few weeks ago, Harvey Weinstein was charged with rape by a district attorney’s office that had, two years ago, failed to bring charges even though police had a tape recording of Weinstein admitting his guilt. Last month, Bill Cosby was found guilty of sexual assault by a jury. It was the second attempt by prosecutors to try Cosby. The first ended one year ago in a mistrial when jurors were unable to reach a conclusion. These developments show that we are poised for real change. The facts of Cosby’s case did not change from the first trial, held one year ago, to the second. Likewise, there are no new facts (other than that they have been made public) about Weinstein’s long history of reported sexual abuse and predatory behavior with actresses.
What has changed, thanks to the #MeToo movement, is the broader public’s willingness to believe survivors. This moment should not be squandered. Rape crisis centers not only know how to respond appropriately and compassionately to people in crisis, they know how to train organizations, agencies, and communities how to create cultures that prevent sexual violence from occurring in the first place. We have welcomed Baker’s and DeLeo’s statements in support of survivors. But we need more than words. We need the resources to get this work done.
Gina Scaramella is the executive director of the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center.
