The following is the opinion and analysis of the writers:
Sexual and domestic violence plagues our community, and with the economic and societal stresses of COVID-19 still hanging over our state, it’s only getting worse. In 2019 alone, there were 96 domestic-violence-related deaths in Arizona. Unfortunately, Arizona is trailing many other states when it comes to modernizing our laws to deal with sexual and domestic violence.
This is why the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence has created a comprehensive, pragmatic road map for lawmakers to follow. Our 2021 Public Policy Agenda details several key areas where legislators can improve our laws to create a safer state.
One simple, but incredibly important, step we can take is creating greater access to safe housing. Currently, state law allows for lease termination for sexual and domestic violence survivors only if they can show a protective order or police report. Survivors may not be able to get this type of documentation, which leaves them in a potentially life-threatening situation.
It’s time to amend our laws so other forms of documentation, such as confirmation from a medical professional, can be used by survivors to terminate leases and escape from dangerous housing situations.
Conversely, can you imagine being a domestic-violence survivor who gets evicted for calling the police to protect yourself or your children? Yet, in some cities, that is exactly what happens due to local “nuisance” laws.
This is unconscionable and makes survivors choose between their home and safety. We must ensure all nuisance laws exclude domestic and sexual violence survivors so they can call the police without fear of losing their home.
Arizona also lags many other states in how we track sexual assault kits. In 2016, Gov. Doug Ducey convened a task force that recommended the implementation of a statewide system for tracking these kits. However, participation isn’t mandatory for all jurisdictions.
We need to create victims-rights provisions giving survivors the ability to track their kits through a victim portal. It’s time to pass a statewide mandate giving survivors the ability to anonymously track the results of their own sexual assault kit. Twenty-four other states and Washington, D.C., have passed laws to give survivors these tools. There is no reason Arizona shouldn’t join them.
Finally, one of the most glaring deficiencies in Arizona’s approach to addressing sexual violence is the lack of funding. Arizona is one of the few states that does not allocate state funding specifically to sexual assault services. This leads to gaps in services to survivors to enable them to heal and recover.
The establishment of a new Sexual Assault Services Fund with several million dollars would start to close these gaps. In a state with a budget of over $12 billion and an estimated surplus of hundreds of millions of dollars, this is imminently feasible if prioritized.
We are reaching out to legislators from both sides of the political aisle to try and build support for these much-needed policy changes. Protecting and supporting survivors of sexual and domestic violence should never be a partisan issue. Ninety-six deaths from domestic violence are 96 too many. It’s time for our elected officials to come together to create a safer Arizona.
