EMBARGOED UNTIL Thursday, September 12, 2019

24th Heinz Awards Honors Amanda Nguyen for Advocacy on Behalf of Sexual Assault Survivors, and for Her Work to Develop and Pass the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights

Nguyen’s persevering efforts continue to drive new legislation in states across the country and abroad; Her work is the foundation for the proposed international U.N. Sexual Violence Survivors’ Rights Resolution

PITTSBURGH, September 12, 2019—The Heinz Family Foundation today named Amanda Nguyen the recipient of the prestigious 24th Heinz Award in the Public Policy category for her persevering activism on behalf of civil rights for sexual assault survivors. Ms. Nguyen is recognized for her tireless work in the development and enactment of the federal Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights, the introduction and passage of similar legislation in dozens of states in the U.S. and internationally, and the development of the international Sexual Violence Survivors’ Rights Resolution currently under review by the U.N. General Assembly.

As part of the accolade, Ms. Nguyen will receive an unrestricted cash award of $250,000.

Ms. Nguyen is credited with drafting and advocating for the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act, the first national proposal to strengthen the rights of sexual assault victims. Signed into law by President in 2016, it entitles survivors to free medical exams, mandates that forensic evidence be kept for at least the statute of limitations on rape, and provides victims the option of extending that timeline when they request notification before a containing forensic evidence from an assault is destroyed.

Ms. Nguyen’s persistence in establishing legal rights for sexual assault survivors and changing the procedures for handling and preserving rape kits is driven from personal experience. Sexually assaulted as a college student, Ms. Nguyen learned that in , where the crime took place, rape kits were routinely destroyed after a six-month time period, even though the statute of limitations to report sexual assault is 15 years. This required Ms. Nguyen to face the additional layer of trauma of filing an extension request every six months to preserve her rape kit and her access to justice. Similar scenarios exist across the United States, where it is estimated that tens of thousands of rape kits sit untested in police departments or are discarded. Kits are handled differently from state to state, and the means of communicating the necessary steps required for preservation of evidence are not always readily available or clearly stated.

Recognizing the burden these policies impose on those who have been through the trauma of assault, Ms. Nguyen worked to rewrite the law to protect the civil rights of sexual assault and rape survivors, and in that process founded Rise, a nonprofit coalition of survivors and allies. In a rare legislative feat, Ms. Nguyen’s proposed legislation successfully moved through the federal legislative process in just eight months. The 2016 Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act is one of only 21 bills in U.S. history to be unanimously passed by Congress.

Ms. Nguyen and Rise continue to focus their efforts on providing legal safeguards for survivors of sexual assault and are pushing for state-by-state reform. As part of this effort, Ms. Nguyen and her volunteers are advocating for five key civil rights: the right to preserve victims’ rape kits from being destroyed for 20 years or until the statute of limitations has passed (whichever is longer); the right to be notified of civil rights related to a sexual assault; the right to a rape kit examination at no charge; the right for victim access to the medical record related to a rape kit examination; and the right to a copy of the associated police report. To date, 25 laws have been enacted in states across the country ensuring the rights of 72 million sexual violence survivors.

Ms. Nguyen has also recently founded Rise Justice Labs, a first-of-its-kind social movement accelerator that offers resources and training on how to establish a grassroots campaign and navigate the legislative process.

“Democracy belongs to all of us,” says Ms. Nguyen. “No one is powerless. Each of us can make an impact on the issues and communities we care about most – it’s all a matter of knowing where to start. I want people across the country to know that you can change laws, you can influence policy, and you can pen your own civil rights into existence.”

The passage of the U.S. federal law has drawn international attention. In 2018, Ms. Nguyen was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her tireless work to protect sexual assault victims. She also recently spoke to members of the U.N. General Assembly on the development of an international Sexual Violence Survivors’ Rights Resolution, developed by Rise, with input from survivors and member states of the United Nations. The resolution will create a legal international framework so that civil society, legislatures, and representatives can take its content and build on it in their home countries.

“When President Obama signed the federal law, people saw there was a framework now that could give dignity to sexual violence survivors and a model for access to justice, which could be replicated internationally,” says Ms. Nguyen. “The upcoming U.N. resolution is the first of its kind. Never before has the world passed a resolution that recognizes rape as an issue in and of itself. Rape has always been a subcategory of another issue; for instance, it is included under ‘weapons of war.’ But most rape happens outside of war, and people of all genders are survivors. There are 1.3 billion sexual violence survivors around the world – that’s the entire North American and European population combined.”

Ms. Nguyen will speak on the international Sexual Violence Survivors’ Rights Resolution at the September 17, 2019, U.N. General Assembly in New York.

“Amanda’s courage in telling her personal story, and her remarkable ability to advocate for the rights of sexual assault survivors with relentless tenacity, sensitivity and grace, have made her a powerful force for change in the United States and the world,” said Teresa Heinz, Chairman of the Heinz Family Foundation. “In her pursuit of justice and through the founding of Rise, she is not only giving legal protections and a voice to those who have undergone the trauma of assault, she is establishing a social movement that reminds citizens of their right to petition Congress and contribute to the writing of new laws. The Heinz Awards honors her for her achievements, and for the enduring and expanding impact her work is having on behalf of sexual assault survivors worldwide.”

Established to honor the memory of U.S. Senator John Heinz, the Heinz Awards this year recognizes those who have made significant contributions in five distinct areas of great importance to Senator Heinz: Arts and Humanities; Environment; Human Condition; Public Policy; and Technology, the Economy and Employment. Now in its 24th year, the Heinz Awards has recognized 144 individuals and awarded more than $28.75 million to the honorees. For more information about the awardees visit www.heinzawards.net/2019.

In addition to Ms. Nguyen, the 24th Heinz Awards honored the following individuals, who will receive their awards in Pittsburgh on October 17, 2019:

• Arts and Humanities: Kevin Jerome Everson, a prolific independent filmmaker and visual artist who draws from original and found footage to create experimental films that explore the lives and communities of working-class African Americans, and the nature of work; • Environment: Rue Mapp, founder of Outdoor Afro, for developing and training a national network of African American conservation leaders, building a more diverse voice for natural resource stewardship and inspiring African Americans to explore their historic connections to the outdoors; • Human Condition: Sarah Szanton, Ph.D., ANP, a leader in the development of the Community Aging in Place Advancing Better Living for Elders (CAPABLE) program, an intervention that uses older adults’ own goals to guide the provision of home repair services along with in-home nursing and occupational therapy to improve mobility and independence, and decrease healthcare costs; and • Technology, the Economy and Employment: Brandon Dennison, founder of Coalfield Development Corporation, a family of social enterprises focused on building a new economy for Appalachia and restoring its environment by putting unemployed young adults and laid-off coal miners back to work and equipping them with skills for a lifetime of employment.

EDITORS/REPORTERS: To obtain photos of Ms. Nguyen or any of the other recipients, please contact Maya Brod at [email protected] or 301-467-4917.

# # # About the Heinz Awards Established by Teresa Heinz in 1993 to honor the memory of her late husband, U.S. Senator John Heinz, the Heinz Awards celebrates the accomplishments and spirit of the Senator by recognizing the extraordinary achievements of individuals in the areas of greatest importance to him. The awards, administered by the Heinz Family Foundation, recognize individuals for their contributions in the areas of Arts and Humanities; Environment; Human Condition; Public Policy; and Technology, the Economy and Employment. Nominations are submitted by invited experts, who serve anonymously, and are reviewed by jurors appointed by the Heinz Family Foundation. The jurors make recommendations to the Board of Directors, which subsequently selects the Award recipients. For more information on the Heinz Awards, visit www.heinzawards.net.

Contacts: Maya Brod 301-467-4917 [email protected]

Kim O’Dell 412-497-5775 [email protected]