“At Jane Doe Inc., The Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, we are dedicated to advancing safety and healing for all survivors, their loved ones, and their communities. In the face of persistent, dangerous, and bigoted attacks at the Federal level that target transgender individuals and communities, we stand with all survivors, including those from historically marginalized communities such as LGBTQIA+ survivors, survivors of color, survivors from low-income backgrounds, and immigrant survivors, whose fundamental rights are under particular attack in this moment. Trans justice is survivor justice. 

Trans people are disproportionately impacted by gender-based violence – more than half of trans people have experienced either domestic or sexual violence. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision allowing states to deny transgender young people access to essential, life-saving healthcare, it is particularly concerning that 1 in 10 trans survivors reports experiencing assault from a health care provider. 

Attacks on the rights of trans people, rhetoric that fosters hatred and isolation, and policies that restrict the freedom of trans people to exist and express themselves compound the dangers already faced by trans and gender-nonconforming survivors. These attacks, ranging from dismantling LGBTQIA+ hotlines to attempts at abolishing gender-affirming care, increase the likelihood of more violence and greater harm against transgender individuals – who are already four times more likely than their cisgender counterparts to experience violent crime.

While the current Federal administration focuses on delivering devastating blows to trans rights and besieging survivor safety across the country, we know that there are real consequences for trans survivors, advocates, and community members, and a dangerous impact from lost resources, increased fear, and empowered abusers. As a Coalition working to end gender-based violence, we know that transgender survivors and the accessibility of the services and resources available to them must be centered in our work. Erasing trans individuals from this field – as the Federal administration is attempting to do – would be entirely antithetical to the values of our work.

In the face of these challenges, JDI Coalition members and our partners remain focused on the work of supporting trans survivors every day. It is critical that trans survivors know there are still resources available to support them and provide assistance navigating difficult, and often hostile, systems. Just as important, there are millions of people – service providers, advocates, and community members – committed to unwavering solidarity to fight for our collective safety, justice, and healing. Those in need of help can find more information on available resources here. At JDI, we will continue our work to support our member organizations, call out attacks that threaten survivors and advocates, and work alongside our members, partners, and elected leaders in Massachusetts to protect our communities.”

Good Morning,

Jane Doe Inc., The Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, released the following statement in response to the Healey Administration’s plan to undertake a major redevelopment of MCI-Framingham, Massachusetts only women’s prison:

“In a recent announcement, the Healey Administration unveiled that it is allocating $20.5 million in the FY 2026-2027 Capital Budget for the Department of Corrections to “re-imagine” MCI-Framingham, Massachusetts’ only women’s prison. The $20.5 million in FY 26-27 represents only a fraction of the expected $360 million total investment in the redevelopment project, a more than 700 percent increase from cost estimates for previous versions of the plan.

The scale of this new investment in prison infrastructure represents a deep misunderstanding of how the Commonwealth of Massachusetts can support survivors and prevent violence. The vast majority of women in prison are survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence themselves: 86 percent report experiencing sexual violence, and 77 percent report experiencing intimate partner violence. Additionally, survivors are often criminalized and incarcerated for actions taken in the context of surviving violence, such as substance use, experiencing homelessness, or acts of self-defense, or for offenses they were coerced into through abuse. Directing more money to incarceration is not the answer, and will only reinforce cycles of trauma.

We share the Administration’s stated goal of improving the lives of incarcerated women, but that goal must be achieved by investing limited state resources in infrastructure and strategies that address the root causes of violence, including sexual and domestic violence, in non-carceral settings. At a time when funding for domestic violence and sexual assault services is under threat, we need the Commonwealth to invest in community-based strategies for support and healing.

We remain committed to elevating the voices of survivors and community leaders who have been criminalized in the aftermath of experiencing abuse and violence. We will continue our work with advocates, partners, and the Administration to better support survivors and reduce violence by investing in affordable housing, healing, healthcare, recovery, education, and financial opportunity – not prisons.”

“The FY26 budget passed earlier this week by the State Legislature includes a nearly $7 million cut to funding that supports vitial services for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, as well as efforts to prevent future violence. As the statewide coalition against sexual assault and domestic violence, we are deeply distressed by this cut, which will imperil critical, often life-saving, support for survivors, force service providers into impossible decisions, and make all of our communities less safe.

The funding level in the Legislature’s final budget – lower than the Governor’s FY26 recommendation, as well as the budget bills passed independently by the House and Senate – will reduce the availability of critical services for survivors – including rape crisis center services, counseling and therapy, intimate partner abuse education, prevention programming, crisis intervention, housing and shelter support, and more.

We understand the need to reach agreement on a fiscally responsible state budget but – especially in a moment when our communities are facing unprecedented attacks at the federal level – it is more important than ever that we do everything we can to protect and support survivors. Moving forward, it is incumbent on our state elected officials to identify opportunities – including in any supplemental budget – to, at the very least, restore this essential funding and provide the resources necessary to help survivors find safety and healing and prevent future violence.”

In recent weeks, community members and advocates across Massachusetts have noted a significant escalation of immigration enforcement actions being carried out by Federal authorities. This accelerating enforcement – including increasingly violent and chaotic detentions, workplace raids, and even “wellness checks” on immigrant children – is deepening fear and trauma in immigrant communities, and creating even greater challenges for immigrants and refugees seeking safety for themselves and their families, including survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.

As JDI has previously stated, survivors often face significant barriers to accessing supportive services and finding safety from abuse and violence, including concern for children and other loved ones, financial instability, and lack of safe, affordable housing. For immigrant and refugee survivors, these challenges are often compounded by the fear of deportation or loss of immigration status, language barriers, mistrust of legal systems, and more. The nature and frequency of recent Federal enforcement actions are exacerbating these fears and making it even harder for immigrant and refugee survivors to seek vital, potentially life-saving care and support. At the same time, these actions empower abusers, who can use a survivor’s immigration status – or that of their loved ones – to exert even greater power and control.

At JDI, we stand with the members of our coalition that serve immigrant and refugee survivors, as well as with advocates, and immigrants and refugees across the Commonwealth. We remain committed to advancing policies that protect immigrant and refugee communities and make more resources accessible for survivors. We support H.1588/S.1122: An Act Relative to Immigration Detention and Collaboration Agreements, currently before the Massachusetts Legislature, that would specifically prohibit state and local entities from entering into or renewing any collaboration or detention agreements that would delegate Federal immigration enforcement powers to these entities. Especially in light of recent events, we call on state lawmakers and the Governor to work quickly to pass this bill and sign it into law, and to consistently prioritize safety and justice for immigrant and survivor communities across our state. 

Far from making our communities safer, increasingly aggressive, indiscriminate, unaccountable immigration enforcement actions undermine the safety and wellbeing of those in our communities who are most in need – survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. Immigrant justice is survivor justice, and JDI will continue working with our coalition members, advocates, partners, and elected leaders to protect immigrant and refugee survivors in all of our communities. 

Jane Doe Inc. Statement on the Senate FY26 Budget Proposal

Last week, the Massachusetts Senate released their proposed FY26 budget. Jane Doe Inc., the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, applauds the Senate for maintaining the FY25 funding level for sexual and domestic violence services and support through the Department of Public Health, which provides funding for critical services for survivors and deeply needed efforts to prevent future violence. This will maintain support for nurse examiner programming, transitional housing services, language access to survivor hotlines, intimate partner abuse education, services for immigrant, refugee, and LGBTQIA+ survivors, and more. 

In the face of federal funding uncertainty and relentless attacks on survivor communities, it is critical that our lawmakers preserve essential support for these lifesaving services and keep them accessible for survivors across the Commonwealth. As the budget heads to the conference committee, we urge the Legislature to, at a minimum, maintain this critical funding level to support survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence in the final budget.

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Yesterday, the Massachusetts House of Representatives released their FY26 budget, which included a $5 million cut to critical services for survivors and efforts to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault. As the statewide Coalition of advocates and service providers, Jane Doe Inc. is deeply concerned about this potential cut and the consequences for the more than 100,000 survivors in Massachusetts who access services every year.

This cut threatens the lifesaving services that providers across the state work daily to make safe, accessible, and affordable for the survivors who need them–especially survivors in our most marginalized communities. These services include rape crisis center services, counseling and therapy, intimate partner abuse education, prevention programming, crisis intervention, housing and shelter support, and more.

In the face of escalating attacks from the federal administration and deep uncertainty about future federal funding, we know this is set to be a challenging year for state and local budgets. But our solution cannot be to reduce support for the people in our communities–like survivors–who need resources the most. 

We are grateful to Rep. Natalie Blais for filing Amendment #1603 to restore this deeply-needed funding, and to the many state legislators who understand the importance of protecting survivors and essential funding for survivor services. We look forward to collaborating with legislators, advocates, state officials, and local leaders to restore this funding and advance legislation to protect survivors and prevent violence across the Commonwealth.

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“Over the past two weeks, the Administration in Washington, DC has continued to attack survivor communities – and the organizations that support them – in Massachusetts and across the country, including survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.

In the face of these challenges, it is critical survivors know that JDI Coalition members and our partners remain accessible and committed to the work of supporting survivors every day, including immigrant survivors, LGBTIA+ survivors, and those multiply impacted. Those in need of help can find more information on available resources here. JDI remains committed to supporting our member organizations, calling out attacks that threaten survivors and advocates, and working alongside our members, partners, and elected leaders in Massachusetts to protect our communities.”

MEDIA CONTACT: press@janedoe.org

Jane Doe Inc. Presents 2025 Visionary Voice Award to

Kishana Osei, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Women of Color Network

BOSTON, April 10 – Kishana Osei, Executive Director at the Massachusetts Women of Color Network (MAWOCN), has been named a recipient of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s (NSVRC) 2025 Visionary Voice Award. Jane Doe Inc. (JDI), the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, presented the award to Osei on April 8, 2025 at their offices in Boston, MA. Advocates and colleagues from across Massachusetts and throughout the field of sexual assault and domestic violence prevention and intervention gathered together to celebrate Kishana and mark Sexual Assault Awareness Month in support of survivors and safety and equity for all.

Visionary Voice Award recipient Kishana Osei (center with flowers), Executive Director of the Massachusetts Women of Color Network (MAWOCN), surrounded by staff from JDI, MAWOCN board members, and other friends. (Photo courtesy of JDI)

JDI nominated Kishana in recognition of her 13 years of expertise and commitment to survivor communities, advocates in the field, and her work advancing racial justice in the movement to end sexual violence. As the Executive Director of MAWOCN,  Kishana has spearheaded initiatives that have statewide impact. She leads the Keeping Black Survivors Alive (KBSA) cohort, a powerful collaboration of five BIPOC-led, community-based organizations from across Massachusetts. Together, this dedicated team has co-created the groundbreaking KBSA Multimedia 40-Hour Culturally Specific Training Toolkit, designed to equip service providers with the tools and knowledge to better support and uplift Black survivors.

“Kishana embodies the vision and voice we need to promote healing and help communities thrive. Her deep commitment to creating access to culturally responsive services for sexual assault survivors is needed now more than ever,” Jane Doe Inc. Executive Director and 2019 Visionary Voice honoree Hema Sarang-Sieminski noted. “The Jane Doe Inc. (JDI) team is continuously inspired by Kishana’s leadership and brilliance.”

“Receiving the Visionary Voice Award from NSVRC and JDI is more than a personal achievement; it is a shared celebration of the communities I serve and the voices I strive to uplift,” Kishana said. “It is an affirmation that our work, centered in community, healing, and justice, is both seen and valued. I am proud to serve, deeply motivated, and committed to creating spaces where survivors and Women of Color are supported, empowered, and heard. This recognition fuels me to do more.”

Kishana Osei (right), Executive Director of the Massachusetts Women of Color Network (MAWOCN), with JDI Executive Director Hema Sarang-Sieminski after receiving the 2025 Visionary Voice Award. (Photo courtesy of JDI)

Kishana is also the Overnight Residential Counselor at REACH Beyond Domestic Violence and was one of 40 innovative changemakers recognized as a Boston Women’s Fund Leading Us Toward Liberation Honoree.