There are a number of laws that define rights and responsibilities related to sexual assault:
Title IX
Title IX is a comprehensive United States federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity. The main objective of Title IX is to avoid the use of federal money in ways that support sex discrimination in education programs and to provide individuals with effective protection against those practices. In an educational institution, such as a university, Title IX also applies to any education or training program operated by a recipient of federal financial assistance. To learn more about Title IX, visit the website for the Office of Investigations and Civil Rights Compliance.
Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act
The Jeanne Clery Act requires colleges and universities to publish an annual security report (ASR), have a public crime log, disclose crime statistics for incidents that occur on campus or in unobstructed public areas immediately adjacent to or running through the campus and at certain non-campus facilities, issue timely warnings about Jeanne Clery Act crimes which pose a serious or ongoing threat to students and employees, devise an emergency response notification and testing policy, compile and report fire data to the federal government and publish an annual fire safety report, and enact policies and procedures to handle reports of missing students. To learn more about the Jeanne Clery Act, visit the Clery Center for Security On Campus website.
Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization is a United States federal law and provides for services including Federal Rape Shield Law, community violence prevention programs, protections for victims or survivors who are evicted from their homes because of events related to domestic violence or stalking, funding for victim assistance services such as rape crisis centers and hotlines, programs to meet the needs of immigrant women and women of different races or ethnicities, programs and services for victims with disabilities, and legal aid for survivors of domestic violence. In addition, there are national resources that provide tools and guidance to institutions dealing with sexual assault. To learn more about the VAWA reauthorization act of 2013, visit the United States Department of Justice website.
Additional Resources
GLBTQ Domestic Violence Project
1-800-832-1901
glbtqdvp.org
Legal Momentum
212-925-6635
legalmomentum.org
The National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-7233
thehotline.org
RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network)
1-800-656-4673
rainn.org
Safe Horizon
1-800-621-4673
safehorizon.org