Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin, chair of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) Eastern Region, will host a two-day conference in Providence on September 30 and October 1, which will address the issues of sexual assault on college campuses.
During the meeting, panelists will identify pertinent issues relating to sexual violence on college campuses, such as the importance of adhering to relevant federal regulations and the need for collaboration among all stakeholders, including law enforcement, campus police, administrators, and prosecutors. Panelists will examine how to best protect the rights of both the victim and the accused while ensuring the safety of the public. The goal of the conference is to discuss ways to improve campus sexual assault investigations and examine next steps that stakeholders must take to prevent campus sexual assaults and to correctly monitor and investigate reports of such assaults.
"Sexual assault on college campuses must be treated as seriously as a sexual assault that occurs anywhere else. It is long overdue that, as a state and as a nation, we address this issue. Victims of sexual assault, whether on a college campus or in our community, deserve better. They deserve for all of us to get it right. By bringing together all the stakeholders—higher education, victims' advocates, law enforcement, prosecutors, and federal regulators and policymakers—we can create a model to prevent sexual assaults, and, when they do occur, how to get justice for the victims," said Attorney General Peter Kilmartin.
The first day of the two-day conference, to be held at the Omni Providence Hotel, will include panel discussions which will outline the current federal regulations that pertain to campus sexual assault investigations, determine how to comply with the regulations, consider best practices for campus police and law enforcement working together to investigate campus sexual assault, and present strategies for optimizing victims' services. After remarks by U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, the second day of the conference will focus on issues and conflicts encountered by attorneys general offices that represent higher education institutions in sexual assault cases. The conference will close with an examination of the next steps that stakeholders must take to prevent campus sexual assault to correctly monitor and investigate reports of such assaults. U.S. Senator Jack Reed is also scheduled to address the conference on Wednesday.
"This conference affords us a unique opportunity to work together and develop best practices in keeping our young people safe on and off college campuses," added Attorney General Kilmartin.
The panel discussions will be moderated by attorneys general from across the country and will feature distinguished panelists representing the U.S. Department of Education, the Clery Center for Security on Campus, U.S. Attorney Peter Neronha, the National Network to End Domestic Violence, college and university police, Day One, and sexual assault prevention and advocacy representatives.
Registered attendees include representatives from Brown University, Johnson & Wales University, Rhode Island College, Providence College, Bryant University, and the Rhode Island School of Design.
This is the second major NAAG conference hosted in Providence by Attorney General Kilmartin. In August 2013, Attorney General Kilmartin hosted the North American Regional Conference of the International Association of Prosecutors. In addition, NAAG has committed to holding multiple educational seminars in Rhode Island this year, including a recent Trial Advocacy seminar at Roger Williams University School of Law and a Bankruptcy Law seminar, as well as the 2014 Fall Consumer Protection Seminar slated for October 20 – 22 at the Providence Biltmore.
The NAAG Eastern Region Conference is open to registered attendees and the credentialed media. To review the agenda, register for media credentials or to schedule interviews with specific speakers and panelists, please contact Amy Kempe at akempe@riag.ri.gov or (401) 952-7726.
# # # The NAAG Eastern Region is comprised of Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), www.naag.org, was founded in 1907 to help attorneys general fulfill the responsibilities of their office and to assist in the delivery of high quality legal services to the states and territorial jurisdictions.