Monie Ballard, executive director of the Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault, says federal funding for the organization is at risk. Credit: Brian Chilson
A woman who said she was once sold to a pimp for a $10 bag of meth was among the speakers at a press conference Tuesday, where leaders of Arkansas organizations for victims of sexual violence said their programs’ fates are uncertain as federal dollars remain frozen.
Rape crisis centers, law enforcement programs, domestic violence shelters and other entities that rely on federal funding are facing an uncertain future as the Trump administration holds back grants from the Office of Violence Against Women, part of the federal Department of Justice.
Federal dollars for these programs stopped flowing on Feb. 6. Normally, these groups would be applying for a fresh round of federal grants. If federal funding remains frozen on Oct. 1, the executive director of the Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault said her organization could close down.
Monie Ballard, the executive director at ACASA, said she’s asked Arkansas congressional leaders about the funding holdup but hasn’t gotten many answers.
A survivor of human trafficking fought back tears while recounting past circumstances Credit: Brian Chilson
“The problem right now is they don’t know any more than we do,” she said.
Ryan Dalbec, a member of Congressman French Hill’s staff, told Ballard the funding was halted to “review and ensure they align with the priorities of this Administration,” according to an email exchange Ballard shared with the Arkansas Times.
Congressman French Hill’s office said the funding freeze was to ensure the grants “align with the priorities” of the Trump administration. Credit: Monie Ballard, ACASA
Ballard said other funds for sexual assault survivors have been held up after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling permitted the enforcement of President Donald Trump’s order to direct federal agencies to abolish all programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within the government. Another order has required recipients of federal grants, including ACASA, to certify they don’t operate unlawful DEI programs, she said.
Ballard is also concerned about funds for rape prevention and education that would normally flow from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The department that normally handles that funding was cut significantly during a round of cuts by the Trump Administration last month and Ballard said there’s no one to answer her questions about it.
“Since that department has been decimated, we have no one to contact to ask if/when the award will be made,” Ballard told the Arkansas Times.
The real-world consequences of the funding decisions were made clear during remarks by a parade of sexual assault survivors but none was more lively than one woman who described her life working for a pimp. As she fought back tears, she described being sold from one pimp to another for a $10 bag of meth. She said she didn’t even realize she was a victim at the time.
“If you pull this funding, you might as well be killing the people that are out there that haven’t even had a chance to know they are victims,” she said. “For this funding to even be questioned, it hurts and it cuts deep, becuase in all reality a price tag is being placed on us by the hands of someone else again.”
Saline County Sheriff Rodney Wright speaks in favor of the federal grant funding. Credit: Brian Chilson
Other speakers included a woman who had been groomed and assaulted as a foster child by her foster parent. Another woman said she was assaulted at 16 years aged and credited a rape crisis center with saving her life.
Nyya Marion of Families in Transition, a West Memphis nonprofit that provides services to survivors, read a letter from a woman who was a victim of human trafficking by her own husband. The woman, who described herself as a 50-year-old with a masters degree, received weekly therapy sessions that were funded through a grant program.
“By cutting funding to these groups, you are no different than the predators we are facing,” she said. “We deserve better from our legislators and we will not go silent into the night.” A video of the press conference is available here.
