Sexual Assault

Domestic violence victims are utilizing hotlines more often — but experts say this likely reflects a growth in awareness of assistance options as well as courage.

Illinois hospitals routinely skirt one of the nation’s strongest laws protecting victims of sexual assault — including Alton Memorial and Blessing Hospital in Quincy.

Despite the U.S. Supreme Court ruling the practice unconstitutional, Missouri State Sen. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, proposed legislation that would allow the death penalty in non-homicide cases.

A state law that has been around since the 1970s and was last amended in 2016 lists pregnancy as a barrier for finalizing divorce. HB 2402 would clarify that language to specify that pregnancy status shall not stop the court from finalizing dissolution of marriage or legal separation.

The group behind a proposed ballot initiative that would add rape exceptions to Missouri’s abortion ban says a reporting requirement would give victims access to help. But some survivor advocacy groups worry it could cause further harm.

Safe Connections is expanding its violence prevention program to third through fifth graders. The program will focus on conflict resolution, bullying, consent and boundaries, as well as healthy relationships.

The House also approved an omnibus education bill that bolsters reading assistance in schools, and a bill giving more protections to sexual assault survivors.

Attorneys Booker T. Shaw, Mary Anne Sedey and Bill Freivogel share insights on St. Louis on the Air’s Legal Roundtable.

For more than three years, Missouri officials have been finding, tracking and testing the state's backlog of thousands of unaccounted-for kits, which are used to identify rapists and people who commit sexual assault. The Attorney General's office announced Monday that the state has sent 3,298 kits to labs for DNA testing.

Businesses with more than 20 employees must provide up to two weeks of unpaid time off for survivors of domestic or sexual violence under a state law.