It’s well established that survivors of sexual violence routinely suffer lifelong emotional, physical, and mental health challenges.
But there’s also evidence that they suffer financially, grappling with issues like lost income, medical and security bills, legal fees, and housing instability. Those costs can reach up to$122,461 per victimover their lifetime, according to a 2017 estimate by researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On Tuesday, Massachusetts US Representative Ayanna Pressleyintroduceda first-of-its-kind bill that would help address some of those economic burdens by creating a restitution fund for victims whose rights have been violated by the federal government.
TheSurvivors’ Rights Restitution Actwould compensate victims of sexual violence and create an independent office within the US Court of Federal Claims to review petitions and payments. The legislation would compensate all survivors of abuse by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as others who can prove the federal government failed to protect them under theCrime Victims’ Rights Act. The bill suggests the minimum payout for survivors would be $123,000, a figure that reflects that CDC estimate.
Pressley, who is herselfa survivor of sexual assault, told The Boston Globe the bill was an outgrowth of both her own experiences and her ongoing work on behalf of survivors.
The congresswoman, who has said she was raped while a college student at Boston University, said she knows firsthand the challenges that arise when attempting to regroup in the wake of an assault.
“There were so many days that I could not get out of bed and face the world because I was physically afraid of being proximate to my abuser,” she said. “You’re talking about missing days, weeks, months of your life because it is very challenging to resume any sort of normalcy.”
Pressley said that in working with Epstein’s victims, the need for some kind of financial restitution became evident.
“They had experienced so many institutional betrayals because of this cover-up,” she said.
Liz Speakman, the executive director of the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, said this legislation considers the often unaccounted for problems that arise in the wake of a sexual assault.
“We certainly know that counseling and legal support is critical for someone healing and trying to navigate these systems,” she said. “And one thing that has gotten overlooked is the financial impacts of sexual assault.”
Speakman said victims often need help with rent, legal fees, or even with purchasing a new mattress. Here in Massachusetts, there is avictim’s compensation fundthat helps cover some of those expenses, she explained. But she said “Epstein survivors fall between the cracks” because the case was prosecuted federally and there’s no nationwide equivalent to the Massachusetts fund.
According to theBureau of Justice Statistics, there are tens of thousands of rape and sexual assault victimizations in the United States annually, amounting to 23 violent victimizations for every 1,000 people in 2024. But only one-third of those victims come forward to report their abuse, according to theRape, Abuse & Incest National Network.
“There are so many gaps and loopholes and blind spots that exist inside of our laws and policies as it relates to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence,” said Tarana Burke, cofounder of the MeToo movement.“This is a groundbreaking moment, and I hope it’s a precedent-setting moment.”
As a member of the House Oversight Committee, Pressley has been among the most outspoken lawmakers seeking more transparency regarding the Epstein files. She’s pushed for hearings, issued subpoenas, and continued to advocate on behalf of victims, holding afield hearing in Palm Beach, Fla., on the Epstein investigation in May of this year.
