DOL Women’s Bureau publishes guides on safe leave

Washington — On the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 becoming law, the Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau released three issue briefs on safe leave.

“Safe leave is leave from work for survivors of gender-based violence to seek support and services related to the violence they or an eligible family member has experienced,” the bureau says.

The briefs cover:
Safe leave in state laws on paid family and medical leave: Details various aspects of safe leave within state paid family and medical leave laws, including the amount of leave, types of gender-based violence covered by the leave and permissible uses for the leave.
Safe leave in state laws on paid sick leave: Explores various aspects of safe leave within state paid sick leave laws.
Implementing safe leave into state laws on paid family and medical leave and state laws on paid sick leave: Presents considerations for people or organizations drafting safe leave legislation or workplace policies and provides best practices from existing laws.

The Women’s Bureau celebrated the anniversary on Sept. 13 with a White House event. That included a panel discussion organized by the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women. Among other topics, the discussion covered “efforts to address gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work, including through FARE grants.”