OPINION: The State is Failing Survivors

Content Warning: This article discusses sexual violence, including the aftermath of sexual assault, the forensic exam process, and challenges survivors face when seeking support. Reader discretion is advised.

On Monday, October 6, Joanne R. Strauss, President of the Board of Directors at the Philadelphia Center Against Sexual Violence (WOAR), released a statement on behalf of the organization announcing staff layoffs. These layoffs are the result of the ongoing Pennsylvania state budget stalemate. The same impasse, which was widely covered over the summer amid the SEPTA funding crisis and temporary service cuts, now threatens critical resources for survivors of sexual violence across the state.

Founded in 1971, WOAR—whose acronym derives from its former name, Women Organized Against Rape—is Philadelphia’s only rape crisis center and one of the first established in the nation. WOAR provides free essential services to survivors and the broader community, including a 24/7 crisis hotline, medical and court advocacy, bilingual individual and group therapy, and prevention and education programs. In 2025 alone, WOAR has already responded to more than 1,700 hotline calls, welcomed nearly 2,500 new clients, and reached over 7,000 community members through its education and prevention efforts.

WOAR’s funding comes from a combination of federal, state, and local agencies, as well as private donors, foundations, and fundraisers. A portion of its funding is distributed through the Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect (PCAR), which itself relies on state dollars from the Department of Human Services. PCAR has long advocated for increased state support for Pennsylvania’s 48 rape crisis centers, which collectively serve more than 27,000 Pennsylvanians each year. These centers have endured years of chronic underfunding while continuing to provide 24/7 services to survivors.

For the 2025-26 fiscal year, PCAR requested an $8 million increase to the DHS Rape Crisis line item, citing over five years of flat funding that have left centers struggling to recruit and retain qualified staff, offer competitive wages, and provide timely, trauma-informed care. PCAR warned that without this increase, survivors across Pennsylvania will continue to face delays in accessing therapy, legal support, and other vital services. These programs provide life-saving care and are essential for addressing trauma, promoting recovery, and restoring the dignity of survivors following an experience of sexual violence.

The importance of rape crisis centers is demonstrated by the difficulty of survivors’ encounters with the healthcare system following an assault.

Sexual Assault Forensic Exams (SAFEs) are designed to document physical trauma and collect evidence that may be used in a criminal trial, and can be a valuable tool for survivors who choose to pursue justice through the criminal legal system. However, the process also has the potential to be profoundly re-traumatizing. During my internship with a state sexual assault coalition this summer, one staff member described how survivors have referred to SAFEs as “the assault after the assault.”

These exams, which can take between one and four hours, involve collecting hair, bodily fluids, and clothing fibers, documenting signs of physical trauma, and testing for sexually transmitted infections or the presence of substances such as common “date-rape drugs.” Once completed, the kits may sit untested for days, weeks, months, or even years, depending on state backlogs and how the case is prioritized.

While all Pennsylvania hospitals are legally required to perform SAFEs, not all have Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs), who are nurses specially trained to provide trauma-informed care and properly collect forensic evidence. SANEs are essential because they help reduce the risk of re-traumatization during these exams. Survivors already endure invasive procedures and significant emotional distress during SAFEs, and when medical staff lack trauma-informed training, the harm can be compounded. In some cases, survivors are even misinformed about their rights or pressured to speak with law enforcement, despite the fact that in Pennsylvania, a survivor does not need to file a police report in order to receive a SAFE.

Across Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, only 28 have a SANE on staff, and half of those counties have just one hospital with a SANE. For students at Haverford or Bryn Mawr College, this means a 25 to 30-minute drive to the nearest hospital to be seen  by a SANE. More often than not in Pennsylvania, the nearest hospital does not have a SANE nurse, leaving survivors with three options: undergo a forensic examination with undertrained staff, travel far from home to an eligible hospital, or forgo care altogether.

This is where rape crisis centers like WOAR step in. Advocates accompany survivors through the exam process to ensure they are treated with respect, dignity, and compassion, regardless of whether a SANE is present. They also work to protect the survivor’s rights. However, even with the right support during those critical early hours, the path forward can still be isolating and painful.

In the months following my assault, I barely ate because my anxiety made me nauseous. Nightmares and flashbacks made sleep impossible. I withdrew from friends and school, avoiding the world because I was terrified of what might happen if I left my room. Night after night, I stood in the shower with water so hot it burned, scrubbing my skin until it was red and raw, trying to erase what had happened to me. For me, healing has been, and will likely continue to be, a lifelong process. I was fortunate to have a supportive network of family and friends, and access to therapy—privileges that made my recovery possible. Many survivors do not.

That is why organizations like WOAR are essential. They provide trauma counseling for those who cannot afford private therapy. They send advocates to accompany survivors to hospitals and courtrooms. They answer the phone at 2 a.m. when a survivor has nowhere else to turn. Earlier this year, when SEPTA service cuts hit Philadelphia, residents had to rethink how to get to work, school, or medical appointments. Now, the same state inaction that halted our buses and trains is affecting essential services for survivors. They too are being forced to rethink how to access the basic care and advocacy they need, all because lawmakers have failed to pass a budget. Like functional public transportation, rape crisis centers are not luxuries; they are lifelines.

The first time I told a friend I had been assaulted, they said, “I am so sorry that happened to you. Thank you for telling me.” They believed me. Not everyone is so lucky. WOAR can be that friend: the one who shows up at the hospital to hold a survivor’s hand, who answers the phone in the middle of the night, who listens without judgment and says, “I see you. I believe you.”

If the budget impasse continues, rape crisis centers will be forced to keep cutting services and staff or potentially cease operations altogether, meaning that those voices that affirm survivors’ worth and help them heal could go silent. In a society where rape culture is deeply entrenched, survivors often face dismissal and isolation from the very systems that claim to deliver justice. Adding to that burden is unacceptable.

As the budget crisis drags on, Pennsylvania’s lawmakers must recognize that their delay is not just a bureaucratic inconvenience; it is a moral failure with real human costs. The lack of funding will not only delay survivors’ healing. It will cost lives.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, support is available. Visit Haverford’s Title IX webpage, or contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) 24/7 hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or go to rainn.org.