The State Guide on Employment Rights for Survivors of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault & Stalking outlines applicable protections in each state, district, or territory within the following four categories:
- Anti-discrimination protections that typically prohibit discrimination either based on status as a survivor or
for taking leave to address abuse; - Reasonable accommodation protections that allow employees to request certain adjustments at work to
address abuse; - Leave protections, which allow eligible employees to take paid or unpaid time off for certain reasons; and
- Unemployment insurance eligibility protections, which allow survivors to qualify for unemployment even if
they voluntarily leave their jobs to address abuse.
The Checklist of Considerations When Developing Employment-Related Protections for Survivors of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking is a compilation of our suggestions to consider when drafting or amending federal, state, or local law or drafting employee policies.
As a result of reviewing every state law providing employment protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, we noticed several common legislative trends across the states. We believe there are some key changes that could be made to these laws to improve their effectiveness and make them more accessible to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
Note that this resource is for informational purposes only and may not reflect new protections enacted after September 2022.
If you are a survivor in need of legal assistance, or you would like additional information, you can contact the Syms Legal Momentum Gender Equality Helpline at (1-800-649-0297), Help@LMHelpline.org, or https://www.legalmomentum.org/get-help-form.