Right now, thanks to the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, sexual offenders or harassers in the government are shielded from public exposure through private settlements that keep their names sealed. One Capitol Hill staffer noted how this system perpetuates harassment in government, telling Buzzfeed, “When you make private settlements, it doesn’t warn the next woman or the next person going into that situation.”
Even worse, Congress is funding a U.S. Treasury account that effectively serves as “hush money” to pay off claims for sexual harassment and other discrimination in Congress.
According to one report, over 15 million dollars of taxpayer money has been used to settle these kinds of claims. This is a national outrage! Congressional members or staff who engage in chronic sexual harassment should not be allowed to hide in the shadows.
Send an email with the action below to the Select Committee on Ethics (Senate) and the Oversight and Government Reform committee (House) and ask them to:
1) release the names of Congressional members and staff who have been accused of sexual harassment or assault,
2) stop using taxpayer money to settle cases involving sexual exploitation,
3) include a discussion of the harms of pornography in any sexual harassment training for members and staff. Research clearly documents the link between pornography and sexually aggressive attitudes and behaviors, and it’s time to create a more holistic training program that addresses root causes of sexually violent or inappropriate behaviors.
Together, we can call our elected officials to be more transparent and honest about sexual harassment on Capitol Hill.
