Dear Leader Thune, Speaker Johnson, Leader Schumer, and Leader Jeffries,

As citizens, survivors, and advocates, we call on Congress to make ending violence against women and girls a national priority. Our country is at a national moment of reckoning. Sexual violence and exploitation are receiving long-overdue attention, and we must meet this moment with the urgency, seriousness, and action it demands. 

From Jane Doe’s experience at Cornell to the widespread victimization of women and girls through deepfake sexual abuse, to the institutional failures in the Epstein case, where more than 1,000 victims have been identified, these headlines have become the norm. They all share a disturbing truth: survivors have been denied the justice they deserve. 

Across our country, women and girls continue to face pervasive sexual violence, compounded by a culture of intimidation, silence, and a justice system that too often fails them. For many, the fear of retaliation, disbelief, and the overwhelming barriers to accountability make coming forward feel impossible. Those who do find the courage to speak out are often forced to relive their trauma as they fight to be heard, believed, and protected. And despite their extraordinary bravery, they are too often met with institutions that perpetuate their suffering rather than deliver the justice they deserve.

We urge Congress to unite across party lines around a fundamental obligation; Our country must prevent and end sexual violence and ensure that those who commit or enable it are held accountable. Accountability is not simply a response to wrongdoing; it is also a critical prevention measure. By challenging harmful social norms, attitudes, and stereotypes in our society that contribute to violence, accountability helps foster a culture in which violence is neither tolerated nor enabled. 

This moment of reckoning must lead to lasting change. X number of survivors, advocates, and citizens are calling on you to take these actions before the 119th Congress ends:

1. Pass the DEFIANCE Act (S.1837/H.R.3562)

Women and girls’ bodies are not to be fabricated. Deepfake pornography makes up 98% of all deepfake videos online, with 99% of them targeting women and young girls. In fact, the victims are overwhelmingly young girls. Deepfakes can destroy a person’s reputation, put their safety at risk, and have severe mental health impacts. We must establish a federal civil remedy for victims of nonconsensual sexually explicit digital forgeries, enabling victims to hold perpetrators accountable and preventing the spread of these images. Building on the bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act, Congress has an opportunity to send a clear message: Technology must not become another means of violating women and girls with impunity.

2. Pass TREY’S Law (S. 3966/H.R. 8571)

Survivors have the right to speak. 1 in 8 children in the United States experiences sexual abuse before their 18th birthday. Many children hide in silence, ashamed and afraid to disclose their abuse in part because when they do, institutions often fail them. Signing an NDA enables perpetrators to be shielded from accountability while children are silenced and prevented from healing. We must advance protections against nondisclosure agreements that silence survivors of child sexual abuse.

3. Pass Virginia’s Law (S. 3815/H.R. 7467)

Justice should not expire. For far too long, statutes of limitations have kept survivors out of the courtroom—shielding abusers and the institutions that enabled them. Trafficking is rarely a single incident; it is a prolonged, coercive, and deeply traumatizing experience. Survivors are often threatened, manipulated, financially controlled, and psychologically entrapped, leaving many unable to fully understand what happened to them—or even recognize it as abuse—until years later. Many survivors do not disclose their abuse until around the age of 40, well after the current legal deadlines have passed. We must advance federal legislation expanding survivors’ access to civil justice for specified sexual abuse and trafficking offenses and remove time barriers that protect abusers.

4. Fund Enforcement, Survivor Support, and Pass the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 1144)

Protection must be meaningful. Congress must appropriate the resources, training, and oversight necessary for law enforcement to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of violence against women and girls, while ensuring survivors have access to the support and resources they need. Hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grants intended to support victim services and provide resources for crimes against women have been cut. Additionally, nearly $200 million in federal funds allocated last fiscal year to support victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and trafficking have not been disbursed by the Department of Justice. Congress must demand that funding toward these critical services be restored and that the funds be allocated by the end of the fiscal year. Additionally, without enactment of H.R. 1144 by the end of this Congress, critical anti-trafficking programs and funding authorizations will lapse, jeopardizing continued support for prevention initiatives, survivor services, and education and employment programs for trafficking survivors.

5. Pass the Sex Trafficking Demand Reduction Act (H.R. 9043)

No buyer, no business. Sex trafficking is fueled by demand, and traffickers profit because buyers are willing to pay to sexually exploit vulnerable women and girls. The Epstein case exposed this dynamic on a global stage: powerful and wealthy men’s money and influence helped sustain a system of sexual exploitation while victims were silenced and denied justice. But this dynamic is not unique to Epstein. Whether buyers are wealthy and powerful or ordinary men, the underlying reality is the same: without demand, there is no market for exploitation. Holding sex buyers accountable is one of the most important steps governments can take to combat sex trafficking. Research examining 150 countries found that nations where prostitution is completely legal, including sex buying, experienced greater reported inflows of human trafficking than countries with more restrictive laws. By passing the bipartisan Sex Trafficking Demand Reduction Act, Congress has an opportunity to strengthen U.S. leadership in the global fight against trafficking, push governments to confront the demand that drives sexual exploitation, and protect vulnerable women and girls around the world.

6. Pass The No Campaign Funded Cover-Ups Act (H.R. 9961)

Political funds should not be used to silence survivors. Currently, our institutions allow abusers to use their positions of power to silence victims and evade accountability. No candidate running for federal office should be permitted to use campaign contributions or legal expense funds to cover costs associated with sexual assault, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment claims. We saw this happen in real time, when reports surfaced that Rep. Eric Swalwell had used over $300,000 in campaign funds to pay a lawyer to defend him in court against sexual assault allegations by multiple women. Congress can take action to increase transparency around the use of political funds and ensure that all individuals are held accountable for their actions, regardless of their position of power. 

Violence against women and girls must be prioritized in this critical moment. We urge Congress to put partisanship aside, pass the legislation outlined above, and make ending violence against women and girls a national priority before the 119th Congress ends. 

Thank you.