3 days ago
Proposed federal cuts could severely impact the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence
Sexual assault examination kit. (Photo from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance)
Proposed federal cuts could significantly hinder the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence's statewide efforts to help survivors.
The Trump administration recently proposed a 29% cut to the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) program funding in the fiscal 2026 budget request.
'OVW really is the main federal body to provide a really unique and dedicated focus for victims of sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, all of these forms of gender-based violence,' said Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence Director of Public Policy Emily Gemar. 'A cut to OVW grants would be significant.'
The Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence is a statewide nonprofit coalition that supports Ohio's 36 rape crisis centers, provides housing for survivors and offers legal services.
Potential reductions in funding could lead to survivors potentially not having access to life-saving interventions, Gemar said.
'When someone has experienced a traumatic crime like sexual assault, and they call a rape crisis center hotline, someone needs to answer,' she said. 'When they flee an abuser in the middle of the night, they need a safe place to go. When they take the courageous step to go and seek medical treatment in their local emergency department, an advocate has to be there, and sexual assault forensic nurse examiner has to be there.'
The proposed 29% reduction comes a couple months after the U.S. Department of Justice rescinding more than 360 federal grants in April — impacting many community based agencies that do crime prevention and serve crime victims.
'Our folks who serve victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, dating violence, they would all be impacted by less federal funding streams to go around,' Gemar said. 'We already are not a robustly funded field.'
Ninety percent of Ohio alliance legal team is funded by the Legal Assistance of Victims Program administered by the federal program.
'What we were seeing across the state is that survivors need help navigating the legal system,' said alliance Director of Advocacy & Legal Services Becca Getson. 'We want to make sure that they have their rights represented.'
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
The alliance has saved survivors about $74,000 in legal fees in 2025 through May 1, Getson said.
'We were able to provide that base to provide legal representation directly to the survivors, and they don't have to then pay an attorney to be able to do very basic things like get a protection order (or) help them through a potential custody issue,' she said.
The Legal Assistance of Victims grants funds both of the alliance's attorneys and their legal services specialist, so cuts to Office on Violence Against Women could potentially eliminate the alliance's legal clinic, Getson said.
'(Survivors) wouldn't have an attorney,' she said. 'This will have a detrimental impact across the state, knowing that survivors aren't able to get that kind of justice that they're looking for, that they deserve to have.'
According to a new poll, 87% of likely Ohio voters are in favor of federal funding for violence prevention programs and victim services and 74% agree the Trump administration and justice department should reinstate funding for victim services, community violence prevention programs, and youth outreach.
The poll was commissioned by the Alliance for Safety and Justice and conducted by McLaughlin & Associates.
'Elected officials on both sides of the aisle stood for safety in supporting violence prevention programs and victims services,' Shakyra Diaz, chief of shared safety for Alliance for Safety and Justice, said in a press release. 'The recent cuts take us backwards, undermine public safety, and Ohio voters do not want that.'
Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky.
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
