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Posts tagged: Policy
One of the most important ways we can all stand up for survivors and safer communities is through political advocacy. That is why the Massachusetts…
Dear Aaron Michlewitz, Chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means and Michael Rodrigues, Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, We…
For the nearly 4,500 Bostonians who experience homelessness any given night, accessible emergency shelter is critical. In Massachusetts, homeless…
Dear Members of the Board of Elementary & Secondary Education, The Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) and our supporters are thrilled that,…
The Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) applauds Governor Maura Healey and the administration in announcing the new framework for comprehensive…
During Pride Month, the Boston Rape Area Crisis Center celebrates the resilience and strength of the LGBTQ+ community. Whether it’s been…
On Juneteenth, we recognize that although President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freed enslaved Black people in 1863, it was…
Today’s decision striking down Roe v. Wade, is upsetting, frustrating, and painful. Abortion care is essential for sexual assault survivors,…
This year’s national theme for Sexual Assault Awareness Month is “Building Safe Online Spaces Together” which brings to mind…
Survivors on college campuses can experience some relief, thanks to a recent lawsuit that successfully challenged several amendments to the 2020…
Sexual violence, including harassment and abuse, has been a continous and prevalent issue across college campuses. In the aftermath of an assault,…
On July 22, 2021, President Biden signed the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021 into law. This legislation is an important step…
It was an incredibly busy end of the year at the State House (and unusual, given that the session usually wraps up in July, and it ended this time…
Gina Scaramella, BARCC's executive director, shared her reflections in a GBH News op-ed on sexual abuse and assault in the wake of recent news…
COVID-19 has forced radical change in the physical spaces of schools and businesses and the ways in which we interact with each other in person to…
Join Us to Prevent Sexual Assault, Harassment, and Abuse We still have a chance to get the Healthy Youth Act passed this year—but we need…
Recent reports have detailed medical abuse, neglect, and hysterectomies without clear consent at U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE)…
Since publishing our statement in response to media requests for comment about the case of Shawn McClinton, who was arrested August 5 and charged…
In this op-ed, BARCC Executive Director Gina Scaramella outlines just some of the detrimental changes to Title IX that colleges and universities…
On Wednesday, August 5, Boston police arrested and charged a Dorchester resident with aggravated rape, armed kidnapping with sexual assault,…
This blog post was written by Samantha Weeks and Natalie Shafer, interns with the BARCC Legal Advocacy team. In May, the federal Department of…
In the midst of the COVID-19 public health crisis, it’s important that our communities and legislators have conversations about the release…
Nationwide protests against the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many more continue. Like all of us at the Boston…
In a conversation with Boston Neighborhood Network News, Katia Santiago-Taylor, BARCC's policy director, discusses the detrimental changes to…
This week, the Trump administration published long anticipated regulations governing Title IX, the 1972 law that prohibits sex-based discrimination…
And Why It Matters Now More than Ever The COVID-19 public health crisis has affected all of us, and some people much more than others. The deep…
Because sexual violence cuts across all racial, ethnic, age, religious, gender, and socioeconomic lines, BARCC is grateful to collaborate with…
The first step in building the state budget for fiscal year 2021 (which runs from July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021) took place last week when…
Today, the Massachusetts State Senate approved the Healthy Youth Act, which requires school districts offering sex education to use a curriculum…
On Thursday, January 2, the Boston Globe published an op-ed piece by Jennifer Braceras that outlined Betsy Devos's efforts to address sexual…
CommonWealth recently published an op-ed by BARCC Executive Director Gina Scaramella on the importance of the Healthy Youth Act in preventing…
For years, we have been talking with legislators about the importance of sexual assault prevention, about setting the foundations for healthy…
Statement by Boston Area Rape Crisis Center Executive Director Gina Scaramella on Massachusetts legislature’s approval of a FY20 budget that…
This campaign season, we’re watching candidates to see whether they make supporting survivors of sexual assault, harassment, and abuse a…
Earlier this year, Massachusetts legislators voted to lift the “family cap,” which denied welfare benefits to children who were…
A State House News Service story on the Healthy Youth Act—a Massachusetts bill that would require schools that choose to teach any sex…
In February 2019, BARCC Executive Director penned an op-ed in the Boston Globe regarding Title IX. Excerpt: "Thanks to the 2011 guidance…
Everyone deserves to feel safe at work, and no one should have to experience sexual harassment and assault on the job (or anywhere, of course). New…
When I think back to my sex ed class at a North Shore high school, I think of the classroom crowded with juniors and seniors. I think of our sex ed…
BARCC Executive Director Gina Scaramella and Senior Bilingual Staff Attorney Patty McNamara went on The Take with Sue O'Connell on NECN to…