NCVLI Hosts Successful Victims' Rights and Human Trafficking CLE

NCVLI's National Bar Association NAVRA, in partnership with Catholic Charities, hosted a Continuing Legal Education class in Portland, Oregon on Friday, March 12, 2010 on "Securing Access to Justice for Victims of Human Trafficking: A Training on Victims' Rights and Immigration Protections." The CLE brought together more than 50 attorneys, advocates, and law students from across the Northwest to learn about the crime of human trafficking, the enforceable state and federal rights that these victims have in the criminal investigation and prosecution of their offender, and how attorneys can help assert these rights and access justice. Thanks to all who attended who made this event such a success!

Register Now for the Crime Victim Law Conference

NCVLI's Crime Victim Law Conference is the only national conference focusing on rights enforcement. The Conference provides participants with the knowledge and practical skills necessary to provide effective legal representation to victims of crime. Register and view the Conference program here.

OVC Announces Victim Assistance Fellowship Solicitation

This is an opportunity for individuals to gain valuable experience working on victim assistance issues at the federal level while supporting OVC in accomplishing its mission. Learn more here.

Playground: A Film About Human Trafficking

The Portland Women's Film Festival is showing Playground - a film by Libby Spears about the horrific practice of trafficking human beings for the purpose of sexual exploitation, on Friday, March 19 at 7:00PM in Portland, Oregon. Learn more here.

Protecting Victims of Sexual Assault

In Stene v. Chambers, NCVLI and nearly a dozen co-amici filed a petition requesting that the Colorado Supreme Court grant certiorari in a case involving the rape of a high school student. At the time of the assault, the victim was unable to pursue charges due to emotional trauma stemming from the assault, and her father's terminal illness. Several years later, the victim learned from the media that one of her assailants had raped another woman. Upon learning this, she gathered the strength to pursue prosecution. Despite DNA evidence and other overwhelming evidence of the assailants' guilt, the prosecutor refused to proceed. The victim sought to compel prosecution under Colorado statute. The trial court permitted the compelling of prosecution but the appellate court reversed. NCVLI and its co-amici filed a brief setting forth the strong policy reasons for permitting victims of sexual assault to go forward with prosecution even if they were not able to proceed with the prosecution at an earlier date. NCVLI thanks its co-amici as well as Jennifer Eyl, a Colorado Attorney, who served as pro bono local counsel for the effort! Co-amici included the Harvard Law School Gender Violence Clinic; Joanne Belknap, Professor of Sociology, University of Colorado at Boulder; the Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence; the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault; Equal Rights Advocates; Wendy J. Murphy, Adjunct Professor of Law, New England Law - Boston; the National Coalition Against Violent Athletes; the National Women's Law Center; Rape Assistance and Awareness Program; and Sexual Assault Services Organization.