WASHINGTON, D.C. — R. Kelly was found guilty on all nine counts in his sex trafficking trial. After decades of abuse, this sexual predator will be punished by the law, as he should be. But now that the trial is over, there is more work to be done. We must continue to pursue justice – real justice for all survivors of sexual violence.
In this very trial, we witnessed women who were betrayed time and time again – by Kelly, his enablers, and a star-powered system that doubts Black women and trivializes and normalizes sexual violence. Society has long failed survivors of sexual violence, especially Black women and girls who experience sexual violence at disproportionate rates.
Enough is enough, we must reauthorize VAWA and work towards making our justice system more responsive to those without power and privilege, and less in the thrall of monsters like R. Kelly.