More than 1,200 former congressional staffers are calling on House and Senate leadership to reform the process by which sexual harassment complaints are filed in Congress, and require all members of Congress and their staff to undergo mandatory sexual harassment training.
“We believe that Congress’s policies are preventing sexual harassment and adjudicating complaints of harassment are inadequate and need reform,” the former staffers said in their letter.
The signers want congressional leaders to give individuals who file complaints with the Office of Compliance the option to undergo counseling and mediation. Currently, anyone filing a sexual harassment complaint with the Office of Compliance must undergo 30 days of mandatory counseling and 30 days of mediation between the staffer and congressional office, requirements that some say act as a deterrent to filing a complaint.
The former congressional staffers are urging Congress to educate lawmakers and their chiefs of staff about their responsibilities for preventing and reporting sexual harassment cases, and believe the Office of Compliance should be given the power to look into sexual abuse or harassment complaints.
The staffers believe Congress should conduct a survey of staff every two years to better understand the rates of sexual harassment on Capitol Hill.
A July 2016 survey of congressional staff from CQ/Roll Call found that 40 percent of woman think “sexual harassment is a problem on Capitol Hill.” One in six women who responded to the survey said she was a victim of sexual harassment.
Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., launched a campaign last month urging former and current congressional staffers to come forward with their stories of sexual harassment after decades of sexual harassment and assault allegations against Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein were revealed.
Inspired by thousands of women who shared their stories on social media using #MeToo, Speier launched #MeTooCongress and kicked off the campaign sharing her own story of sexual harassment from when she worked on Capitol Hill.
Four former and current female lawmakers then detailed their own experiences of sexual harassment by male colleagues.
In the wake of Weinstein’s misconduct, the House Administration Committee announced it will hold a hearing next week to examine the current policies for addressing sexual harassment. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has also ordered a review of sexual harassment policies.
