Manley backs added protections for survivors of sex crimes

State Rep. Natalie Manley is backing legislation that would allow survivors of sexual crimes to have permanent civil no contact orders against their assailants if they are convicted of a sexual crime.

Manley, D-Joliet, is co-sponsoring the bill, H.B. 734, which would allow for no contact orders against assailants if they were convicted of criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual abuse or aggravated criminal sexual abuse, according to a news release.

“It is unacceptable to force victims to have to repeatedly see their perpetrators in court in order to have a civil no contact order in place,” Manley said in the release. “We must work to make sure that the system is set up to protect and support victims, and this legislation is an important step in that direction.”

Existing law requires victims to return to court every two years to renew the no contact order, which Manley said forces survivors to see their perpetrator up to every two years.

In the previous legislative session, she co-sponsored legislation to create the Domestic Violence Task Force, which would perform a comprehensive review of existing domestic violence law across the state and find ways to improve existing laws.

“After someone is a victim of a horrific crime, the last thing they need is to have a deal with a legal system that is not supportive or even actively harmful,” Manley said in the release. “I will continue to fight to make Illinois a safer and more supportive state for victims.”