(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office will never release the name of any victim of a sexual assault. The legal barrier to doing so is contained in section 50-B of the New York Civil Rights Law. More importantly, however, are the ethical reasons that formed the basis of this state law. Dissemination of any information regarding the identity of a sex offense victim is morally repugnant. In the digital age, any such dissemination has the potential to live forever online, which, in turn, has the potential to re-traumatize survivors of this type of abuse and perpetually cast an erroneous and painful label upon them. Accordingly, while the state’s Civil Rights Law does not apply to members of the news media, I encourage any such member to nevertheless adopt its underlying purpose when making publication decisions. It is vital that victims and survivors of these horrific crimes are given the privacy and respect that they deserve.
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