Federal authorities have important jurisdiction in Tribal
communities, on federal lands, and modes of transportation such as aircraft
Seattle-April is Sexual Assault Awareness month, and as part
of this week’s focus on National Crime Victims’ Rights, U.S. Attorney Brian T.
Moran highlighted the important work his office is doing to support and protect
victims of sexual assault. Over the past
year, the office has prosecuted cases of assaults on tribal lands, military
installations, national parks, and on board aircraft. In each case, specially trained members of
the Victim Witness Unit work closely with victims to ensure their rights are
protected and their voices are heard.
“Throughout my career as a prosecutor at the county, state,
and now federal level, I have never forgotten that we do this work for the
victims–many of whom have suffered unimaginable trauma,” said U.S. Attorney
Moran. “In a system designed to protect
the rights of the accused, I commend those who do the critically important work
of guiding and assisting victims through the criminal justice system, working
to ensure they are not further traumatized by the legal process and that they
are heard and given a voice.”
Federal law enforcement has a unique responsibility in
tribal communities to investigate and prosecute sexual assault and domestic
violence. The U.S. Attorney’s Office
works closely with the federally recognized tribes in the Western District of
Washington to ensure such cases are investigated and prosecuted in tribal,
state, or federal court depending on the jurisdictional complexities unique to
each tribal nation.
Similarly, on military installations and federal lands, the
U.S. Attorney’s Office works with federal law enforcement to investigate and
prosecute cases of sexual assault, child molestation, enticement, and
exploitation.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of
Washington was one of the first to identify and actively pursue cases of sexual
assault aboard aircraft. In an awareness
campaign with the FBI and Port of Seattle, the U.S. Attorney’s Office
highlighted the importance of the public awareness.
Autumn, a young woman who was sexually assaulted on a flight
from Alaska to Seattle, said intervention from others was key. “If it hadn’t been for the woman who helped
me up and told me to report you, the flight attendant who could tell something
was wrong, and the airport staff she contacted, I wouldn’t have reported. I was too scared that no one would care. I was scared that people would judge me for
not reacting better. Our youth shouldn’t
have to grow up with those fears,” Autumn told the defendant in court at
sentencing.
Now as she looks back on her experience with the criminal
justice system, Autumn is grateful for the victim advocate, FBI agent and
federal prosecutor who guided her through the process. “I was terrified, but I was pleasantly
surprised by the process and the people I got to work with… If we don’t report these (assaults) there
isn’t going to be any justice. I hadn’t
wanted to speak at sentencing, but doing that helped me get some closure.”
Court-ordered restitution is paying for counseling and
self-defense training which Autumn says has been valuable so that she can
respond differently in the future.
Sadly, sexual assault is vastly underreported–The National
Sexual Violence Resource Center cites a statistic that in 2018 only 25% of
rapes and other sexual assaults were reported to police. For more information, visit King County
Sexual Assault Resource Center at www.kcsarc.org or call 888-99-VOICE.
For more information on National Crime Victims’ Rights Week
Call 855–4–VICTIM or visit VictimConnect.org to learn about victims’ rights and
options.
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