RAINN Press

Washington, D.C. – A bipartisan group of members of Congress introduced a bill to prioritize the rescue of children in efforts to interdict child sexual exploitation offenders by providing law enforcement and prosecutors with new resources and tools. Sens. John Cornyn, Amy Klobuchar, Chuck Grassley, Marsha Blackburn, Lindsey Graham, Richard Blumenthal, and Chris Murphy and Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Wesley Hunt yesterday introduced the Project Safe Childhood Modernization and Reauthorization Act. This bill updates…

Washington, D.C. – A bipartisan group of members of Congress introduced the Debbie Smith Act of 2023. This bill reauthorizes funding towards public crime laboratories to process DNA evidence from rapes and other violent crimes. At any given time, there are thousands of rape kits sitting in law enforcement evidence rooms or awaiting testing at state and local labs. These rape kits often times contain the DNA of violent sexual offenders who have not yet…

Law Enforcement Reports Historic Levels of Child Sexual Abuse Images and Videos Distributed Online Washington, D.C. (April 20, 2023) – A bipartisan group of Members of Congress is trying to end the legal loophole that gives technology companies immunity from liability for hosting images of child sexual abuse on their platforms. The Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies (EARN IT) Act, introduced today by Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Lindsey Graham, and Reps. Ann…

Washington, D.C.— A bipartisan group of Congressional members introduced the END Child Exploitation Act. This bill would require internet service providers (ISPs) to retain metadata on those who proliferate child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) for a full year. Under current law, they are free to delete this information after 90 days, which hampers law enforcement’s ability to prosecute these crimes. “We are seeing an avalanche of child sexual abuse material coming from every corner of…

Legislation Could Aid Investigation of Reports of Online Sexual Exploitation of Children and Prevent the Further Spread of Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM) Washington, D.C. (August 9, 2023) – Today, U.S. Representatives Ann Wagner (MO-R-2) and Sylvia Garcia (TX-D-29) introduced legislation to aid law enforcement in effectively investigating reports of online sexual exploitation and abuse of children. More than half of reports submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline lack…

Today’s “guilty” verdict on the charge of transportation to engage in prostitution and the “not guilty” verdict on the charge of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion in the United States vs. Sean Combs trial is a complex reflection of how survivors of sexual violence can find justice. Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo called the relationship between Sean Combs and Cassie Ventura a “great modern love story.” There’s nothing modern or great about abusing your…

RAINN Named Winner of 2024-2025 Amazon Web Services IMAGINE Grant for Nonprofits RAINN will use AWS generative AI to create on-demand crisis hotlines and additional support mediums. This solution will integrate RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline directly into social media, gaming, and social networking sites. Washington, D.C. (December 3, 2024) — RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, today announced it has been selected as a winner of the 2024 Amazon Web Services (AWS) IMAGINE…

On behalf of the National Science Foundation (NSF), RAINN has launched the NSFSaferScience Helpline to provide support for members of the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) who are impacted by sexual assault or harassment. This essential initiative is designed to ensure the safety and well-being of all members working in the remote and demanding environment of Antarctica. NSF and USAP The National Science Foundation is an independent U.S. government agency responsible for funding and managing research…

RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, today announced that Marci M. Matthews has joined its board of directors. Matthews, a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and longtime advocate for survivors of sexual violence, brings more than a decade of service and leadership to the role. Matthews is the executive director of the Cynthia Parker Matthews Family Foundation, where she oversees charitable support for children’s health, education, community development, and sexual assault services. She is also the founder…

On April 28, 2025, Congress gave survivors of tech-enabled sexual abuse a historic win with the landslide passage of the RAINN-backed Take It Down Act, fundamentally changing the way survivors experience the internet.

Washington, D. C. (April 28, 2025) — Today Congress gave survivors of tech-enabled sexual abuse a historic win with the landslide passage of the RAINN-backed TAKE IT DOWN Act, fundamentally changing the way survivors experience the internet. TAKE IT DOWN criminalizes the distribution of non-consensual AI-generated intimate images, commonly called “deepfakes,” and requires online platforms to remove these images within 48 hours of being reported. RAINN, the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the country, has…

Honolulu, H.I. (May 13, 2024) – RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization released the following statement as Hawaii SB 2439 Opens in a new tab↗ heads to Governor Josh Green’s desk to be signed into law: SB 2439 opens up a window for survivors to choose to pursue justice. The bill extends the statute of limitations for two years for civil actions brought by adult survivors of sexual violence. This provides adult survivors of…