Webinars

Detained, Undocumented, and Underserved: Providing Services to People in Immigration Detention

People detained in U.S. immigration facilities are at extreme risk of sexual abuse. The good news is that new federal standards reinforce the rights of all survivors to get life-saving rape crisis services.

This webinar, Detained, Undocumented, and Underserved: Providing Services to People in Immigration Detention, will give an overview of the problem of sexual abuse in immigration detention, and offer guidance to victim services providers on helping this population.

In this webinar, participants will learn about sexual abuse in U.S. immigration detention facilities, where hundreds of thousands of people are held annually. The speakers will look at the prevalence, dynamics, and impact of this violence, and at why people detained in immigration facilities need and deserve rape crisis services.

Participants will hear survivor accounts, and learn about the obstacles to getting help that immigration detainees in particular face in the aftermath of sexual abuse. The speakers will explain what steps the Department of Homeland Security has taken in recent years to end sexual abuse of its detainees, including information about the newly released Prison Rape Elimination Act standards that require access to outside confidential support services for survivors in its custody. Finally, participants will hear from a rape crisis advocate about her work providing services to people in immigration detention. We’ll end with ample time for questions.

The 90-minute webinar is intended for staff at rape crisis centers and other victim services agencies who want to work with survivors of sexual abuse in immigration detention. No other prior knowledge is needed. This series of webinars is being supported by the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women.