Survivors of Sexual Violence Engagement
An evaluation of an effort by Ramsey County Attorney's Office
December 2022 - February 2025
Explore our social media breakdown of the report.
Background
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.
The Project
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.
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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.
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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.
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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
Upon the release of the report in early 2025, Ramsey County officials including Attorney John Choi publicly recommitted to improving their sexual violence response. In light of MNJRC's recommendations, they announced the addition and funding of culturally specific and trauma-informed training for their legal staff as well as earlier and improved communication with victims themselves throughout the process.
Research Team
Research Director, MNJRC
Community Impact Director, MNJRC
Research Manager
Research Assistant
Research Assistant
Research Intern
Our research team seeks to replicate this research in counties across the state. Reach out to our Research Director at katie@mnjrc.org if you and your county are interested in partnering with us​.​
Partners and other Community-Based Orgs
