June 16, 2025
We wanted to flag that, earlier today,
Jane Doe Inc., the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, joined a group of statewide sexual assault and domestic violence coalitions from around the country to file a lawsuit challenging new, deeply harmful conditions attached to federal grant funding for coalitions and service providers through the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW).
“For nearly thirty years, funding from the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) has been a lifeline—helping survivors in Massachusetts access safety, healing, and justice,” said Hema Sarang-Sieminski, Executive Director of Jane Doe Inc. “These new conditions are not just discriminatory—they are deeply harmful. They seek to turn back the decades of progress made by this field to create effective, inclusive responses to the needs of all survivors. These requirements pave the way for denying life-saving support to immigrant survivors, LGBTQIA+ survivors, survivors with disabilities, unhoused survivors, and many others from communities that are disproportionately targeted by violence. We are proud to join with coalitions from across the country to challenge these unjust conditions and to stand firmly on the side of survivors, the survivor-serving workforce, and justice, safety, and healing for all.”
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, seeks to stop the implementation of the unlawful conditions added by the DOJ. The plaintiffs in the case are represented by Democracy Forward, Jacobson Lawyers Group, Lynette Labinger for the ACLU Foundation of Rhode Island, National Women’s Law Center, and DeLuca, Weizenbaum, Barry & Revens, Ltd. for the Lawyers’ Committee for Rhode Island.
Participation in this lawsuit is a continuation of JDI’s efforts on behalf of survivors and service providers across Massachusetts in the face of unprecedented challenges at the federal level. JDI would like to extend a specific acknowledgement to JDI member programs Safe Passage and The Network/La Red, who shared their specific organizational experiences as part of the complaint filed today.
If you would like to learn more about the work of JDI and our member organizations, and the potential impact of these new funding conditions, please do not hesitate to reach out and we are happy to connect you with a member of the JDI team.
