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Earlier today, Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (D-Ward 5) introduced the “Protecting Victims of Gender-Based Violence Amendment Act of 2013,” which seeks to ban employment discrimination against those who are victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and stalking. A press release states that, currently, employers in D.C. “can fire or refuse to hire or promote employees if, for example, the employee’s abuser creates a disturbance in the workplace.”

McDuffie said that, while D.C. “has strong anti-discrimination laws,” this bill will “[fill] a significant gap” in D.C.’s Human Rights Act, by including “status as a victim of family member of a victim as a class of persons protected from employment discrimination.” According to the release, this bill places D.C. “among a growing number of jurisdictions” that has similar discrimination laws.

“We know that many abusers exert control by harassing their victims while at work,” McDuffie said. “There is no reason why someone dealing with the trauma of domestic violence, sexual abuse, or stalking should have to then suffer discrimination.” The release also states that McDuffie worked with the D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence to craft the legislation, with McDuffie saying that “we know that one in four women will experience some form of domestic violence in her lifetime, so it was important to me to partner with the Coalition to address potential employment discrimination against victims and their families.”

McDuffie’s bill was co-introduced by Councilmembers Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7), Anita Bonds (D-At Large), Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4), Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3), Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), David Grosso (I-At Large), and Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, and was co-sponsored by Marion Barry (D-Ward 8), David Catania (I-At Large), and Jack Evans (D-Ward 2).