Calif. Bill Proposes Changes to Campus Rape Reporting Requirements
Southern California Assemblyman Mike Gatto introduced AB 1433 on Monday, which would require that any report of a Part 1 violent crime (wilful homicide, forcible rape, robbery or aggravated assault) or hate crime received by a college or university be immediately reported to local police unless the victim requests anonymity.
The proposed bill was revised after Gatto’s office consulted with several people who have filed a federal complaint against the University of California, Berkeley for allegedly not responding quickly or appropriately to victims’ allegations that they were sexually assaulted. Initially, the bill did not have the anonymity clause in it, reports Newsweek. The portion about anonymity was added because the victims told Gatto’s office that forcing students to work with law enforcement might discourage them from reporting their assaults.
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The legislation comes after several California colleges have been accused of covering-up on-campus sexual assaults. Two southern California colleges are currently the subject of a federal investigation for their handling of on-campus sexual assaults and other violent crimes. In addition to the federal investigation, five U.S. campuses, including three in California, are the subject of a federal lawsuit alleging violations of Title IX and the Clery Act. Several California colleges have also been criticized for failing to notice signs of dangerous or abusive criminal activity.
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