Harassment in the Workplace Will No Longer Be “Tolerated”

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, a bill designed to eliminate forced arbitration agreements in the workplace has been approved by the United States Senate, thus granting a voice to sexual assault and harassment survivors, and holding perpetrators accountable.

The bill “will give survivors their day in court, allow them to discuss their cases publicly and end the days of institutional protection for harassers,” says Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, longtime champion in favor of the bill and one of its lead authors. “It will help us fix a broken system that protects perpetrators and corporations and end the days of silencing survivors.” 

The next step is for President Joe Biden to sign the bill into law. The #MeToo movement shed a light on sexual misconduct in the workplace, thrusting the practices in the public sphere, forcing perpetrators to reveal the claims filed against them and the processes used to silence victims. The Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act “would allow sexual harassment and sexual assault survivors to elect to file a case in a court of law rather than be subject to mandatory, forced arbitration provisions in cases involving sexual harassment or sexual assault disputes.”