A recent campaign, #MeToo, has caught fire in response to another round of high-profile sexual assault allegations. Over the past several weeks, Hollywood’s troubles came screaming into the headlines with stories of powerful people sexually assaulting female actors. We’ve heard similar uproars in the past, but this is seen as a watershed moment, with thousands of women opening up and sharing painful memories via #MeToo.

This hashtag campaign has contributed to the national dialogue by creating a space for survivors compelled to share their stories. But beyond that, what might help us effectively address sexual assault? What might make this moment different from when these issues made headlines before? The Sexual Assault Justice Initiative could play a role in making this moment distinct.

The US Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women formed the Sexual Assault Justice Initiative (SAJI) to improve the prosecution response to sexual violence. The office funded seven jurisdictions’ prosecution agencies to implement best practices for sexual assault cases and collect and analyze data to examine how well they are prosecuting cases, looking beyond conviction rates as the sole measure of success. In September, SAJI  launched work with these seven sites.

Read the source article at Urban Institute