Before President Donald Trump’s administration, the Education Department played a crucial role in addressing sexual violence complaints in schools and universities. However, significant layoffs have diminished its capacity to handle such cases, resulting in a sudden drop in investigations, with fewer than 10 opened since the mass layoffs last year.
The Office for Civil Rights, which was significantly reduced in staff, now faces a backlog of over 25,000 discrimination complaints. As a result, critics have observed an operational slowdown, particularly affecting cases involving sexual violence.
Under the current administration, there has been a contrasting focus towards enforcing Title IX concerning transgender students and athletes, leading to nearly 50 investigations in this area. This shift has left victims of sexual violence feeling powerless, without adequate federal support to hold schools accountable for mishandling their cases.
Many advocates and victims have expressed frustration over the stagnation of investigations and the limited resources available for pursuing justice. With the private legal route becoming an increasingly common option, some victims feel overwhelmed by the legal challenges they face alone.
Many remain uncertain about the future of their complaints as the Education Department has not provided recent figures on case handling under the Biden administration. The civil rights office, which was historically empowered to sanction schools, is now perceived as a 'dead end' by several legal firms.
With a perceived lack of accountability and increased difficulties for victims seeking recourse, experts warn that the dismantling of focused protections for victims of sexual violence could jeopardize decades of civil rights progress.
