A different kind of court: How a Miami judge pioneered a new way of handling minor human trafficking cases

School-sponsored instruction on affirmative consent and increased resources for victims of sexual violence on campus have brought colleges closer to meeting Title IX requirements. Across the United States, schools like the University of Iowa are requiring students to attend courses that promote healthy behavior and campus culture. Furthermore, schools across the US are increasing support for Title IX coordinators and bringing in organizations like Green Dot and Bringing in the Bystander to conduct workshops for students.

In India “more than 75 000 cases of cruelty by husbands or relatives against women were registered in 2009.” There are no general, medical guidelines for doctors to follow when examining victims of sexual assault. An NGO, and a crisis center for violence against women in India, are filling in the gaps. They have trained doctors, nurses, provided rape kits, and offered a model for setting up crisis centers.

Hope Center offers free medical services, including psychosocial and counseling services, for victims of sexual and gender-based violence. The Center also collaborates with the legal system to work to achieve justice for survivors.

Among the many restorative justice programs in the U.S., the Domestic Violence Safe Dialogue program was one of the few to arrange face-to-face dialogue between survivors and men who had violently abused women. This form of surrogate dialogue – the pairings are between strangers – helps two people who want to change but can't do it alone. After extensive preparation and led by a facilitator, the meeting gives survivors a way to hear they were not to blame for the harm done to them, and for the men to admit responsibility and help someone else in ways that traditional punitive justice often cannot.

The Cleveland Rape Crisis Center spent months deeply listening to their community before opening a new location in Shaker Square. The new location was decided upon as a direct response to the stated needs of the African-American community, who often face unique challenges in reporting and being treated for sexual assault. The center is funded by Ohio’s Victims of Crime Act program, and besides offering standard sexual assault services like counseling and case management, it also does community outreach beyond sexual violence.

The Neem Foundation brings intensive counseling and 1-on-1 therapy to survivors who escaped the horrific violence of Boko Haram, a terrorist group in northeastern Nigeria. With months of aid and tough conversations, the organization attempts to reunite women and children who fled the violence with their families, many of whom shun the Boko Haram escapees.

While still a relatively new field, restorative justice is providing a way for some sexual assault survivors, and perpetrators, to make amends. Restorative justice is an approach to dealing with crime that involves the person that committed the offense to admit his or her actions and ask for forgiveness, then go through a set of actions to repair the crime, such as community service. Some victims and offenders are finding this a much more productive process than going through the criminal justice system. A peer-reviewed study “reported high rates of satisfaction with the process."

In Nueces County, new local programs, projects, and partnerships - spurred by a particularly deadly year for women - are demonstrating how improved assessment by law enforcement and engagement by community members is helping to reduce abuse and homicides while preventing domestic violence overall.

In Colombia, violence against women and domestic abuse are some of the highest in the region due to prolonged conflict, distrust in police and justice system, and economic oppression. Women are helping each other survive and report abuse outside of official organizations.

As campuses across the country race to address a burgeoning nationwide conversation about sexual assault, policymakers, politicians, university counselors and students alike are faced with a lack of quantitative information. But Yale University has taken significant steps to collect and distribute information that may finally change the toxic culture of campus sexual assault.