Survivors of Sexual Violence Engagement

An evaluation of an effort by Ramsey County Attorney's Office

December 2022 - February 2025

Sexual assault, although common, is underreported and disproportionately concentrated among Black and Indigenous women in the United States. The same is true for Minnesota. The Ramsey County Sexual Assault Systems Change Task Force is launching a project to continue to build and further develop long-term sustainable infrastructure to provide and institutionalize victim-centered, trauma-informed best practices for sex assault response in Ramsey County.

In 2023, the Ramsey County Attorney's Office partnered with the Minnesota Justice Research Center to support the third goal of the coalition: Directly engage with survivors of sexual violence.

To support this goal, the MNJRC partnered with the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office and SOS Sexual Violence Services to directly connect with and center BIPOC women survivors who disproportionately face both sexual violence and systemic inequities in seeking justice. We conducted focus groups and interviews with 26 survivors, exploring their interactions with the legal system, identifying barriers to justice, and gathering insights for meaningful change.

Participants shared deeply personal accounts that revealed common barriers and themes with trust, burden and blame, identity, belief and experience in being heard and valued, among others that will be outlined in the report.

Despite these challenges, survivors highlighted the critical role of community organizations like SOS in providing compassionate and culturally responsive support.

Informed by this feedback, the MNJRC is developing recommendations to improve the legal system’s response to sexual violence.

Our work demonstrates that centering the voices of survivors, particularly those from marginalized communities, is essential to building a system that truly delivers justice. Through collaboration and systemic change, Ramsey County can create a legal framework where survivors feel empowered, supported, and valued as they seek both healing and accountability.

What's Next + Get Involved

This report will be released in early 2025, with community education sessions and possibly a data walk to follow! Keep an eye out on our social media and email newsletter for more information.

You can also support this project and others by donating to the Minnesota Justice Research Center. Your contributions make a difference in how we're able to do our work.

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