Jane Doe No More founder Donna Palomba provided expert commentary during a news segment on New York television station WPIX 11 this week. She will be featured again this Friday, April 6, on Connecticut’s Fox 61 news during the 9:00AM news hour.

After surviving a brutal home invasion and sexual assault in 1993, Donna Palomba was further victimized by law enforcement personnel who mishandled her case; that police department was found negligent in the matter during a civil trial in 2001. WPIX 11 invited Palomba to provide insight and commentary in a case involving New York City police officer Michael Pena. Charged with raping a woman at gunpoint, Pena was convicted on sexual assault charges; the jury deadlocked on the rape charge, and a mistrial was declared.  At issue for the jury:
The victim could not recall the color of Pena’s car, parked in the courtyard during her attack. The decision sparked outrage.

“Victims are in a state of trauma,” Palomba told WPIX news anchor Frances Rivera. “You cannot expect them to act a certain way or to remember certain details. It is so important that victims be treated with dignity and respect, and that they are given a presumption of credibility from the onset.”

Palomba returns to the airwaves this Friday, April 6 on Connecticut’s Fox 61 news to talk about the stigmas that persist around sexual assault and encourage people to learn more about this crime during April which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month . She will be joined by Drew and Daniele Serrano of East Coast Training Systems, which offer “Escape Alive Survival Skills” training in partnership with Jane Doe No More. The team will talk about upcoming Escape Alive classes and demonstrate self-defense skills. Palomba will also be featured in an
upcoming episode of Biography.com’s signature series, “I Survived…Beyond and Back.” Biography.com is a part of the A&E network.

Jane Doe No More is a national non-profit dedicated to changing the way society responds to victims of sexual assault. Launched on NBC’s Dateline in 2007, Jane Doe No More is no in its fifth year of supporting victims of sexual assault, promoting awareness and changing laws to benefit victims. For more information or to register for an upcoming Escape Alive session, please visit www.janedoenomore.com