Words by Fatima Barrie
City Council awaits Mayor De Blasio’s signature for life-changing bill.
On October 17, City Council passed a bill, an expansion of the Earned Sick Time Act, now renamed the Earned Sick and Safe Time Act, that allows domestic violence and sexual assault victims to take paid leave.
According to the New York City Council site, “The law would be expanded to allow victims of family offense matters, such as disorderly conduct and harassment, sexual offenses, such as sexual misconduct, forcible touching and sexual abuse, stalking and human trafficking to use earned “safe” hours in connection with such abuse.” Victims will be able to use up to five days off a year to attend court appearances, meet with law enforcement, or take measures to, “to obtain services from a domestic violence shelter or rape crisis center; participate in safety planning, temporarily or permanently relocate.”
Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras-Copeland who sponsored the bill, spoke at a press conference sharing that domestic violence and sexual assault victims will no longer have to worry about loosing their jobs or missing appointments due to work.
Oftentimes women would miss appointments with either a DA, or miss appointments at the police precinct, or, unfortunately in cases, had to go and serve orders of protection. They had to go themselves and weren’t able to do that because they weren’t able to take the time off work.
New York City will soon join Arizona, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, D.C. and Washington state (effective Jan. 2018), that requires employers to provide paid safe leave.
