As an Illinois state Senator, Barack Obama sponsored legislation allows employees time off work to deal with domestic or sexual abuse situations.
As an Illinois state Senator, Barack Obama sponsored legislation allows employees time off work to deal with domestic or sexual abuse situations.
The Victims’ Economic Security and Safety Act of 2003 is a state law that allows an employee to take up to 12 unpaid weeks off of work within a 12-month period for themselves, an immediate family member (spouse, children and siblings) or a household member.
Illinois is among 16 states that have statutes or ordinances providing non-discrimination or leave provisions specifically to victims of domestic or sexual violence, according to Jay Brown, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Labor.
“For many victims of domestic and sexual violence, abuse experienced at home often follows them to the workplace when they are harassed by threatening phone calls and e-mails,” Brown said. “The employee may become less productive due to abuse-related stress or may be unable to work due to physical injuries.”
According to Cook County records, over 36,800 men were convicted for domestic battery and sexual abuse crimes in 2008 and 2007. Of that, over 57 percent were Black men, and their victims were predominately Black women.
“Domestic abuse is a hardcore issue that affects nearly every Black community in Chicago regardless of a person’s education, income or lifestyle,” said Tanya DePeiza, executive director of Women In Progress Inc., a nonprofit social service organization that assists female ex-offenders with re-entering society after incarceration.
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