Supporting Resources, with Anonymity, for Illinois and Chicago Workers
Because experiencing sexual harassment or a sexual assault can be traumatic, it’s important for workers to know about available resources to support persons affected by sexual harassment or sexual assault in the workplace.
Supporting resources can include:
Resources Outside an Employer/Company
Sexual Assault and/or Sexual Harassment Helplines, local or national. Usually these resources are 24/7.
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For example, the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, https://icasa.org/ or
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The Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence https://www.ilcadv.org/
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In Spanish language, Mujeres Latinas En Acción mujereslatinasenaccion.org, Línea de Crisis Contra el Asalto Sexual de 24 horas 888-293-2080, or their Línea de Crisis de Violencia Domestica de 24 horas 877-863-6338.
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Or see the Illinois Attorney General’s list of hotlines posted at https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/women/hotlines.html
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Or the Chicago area page at the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health at http://www.nationalcenterdvtraumamh.org/
Any other private or public sexual violence associations and organizations, as well as legal resources, may also be of good support to persons affected by sexual harassment or sexual assault in the workplace.
Employer/Company-Specific Resources
Companies can also provide (or contract with providers) to provide supportive resources for their workers:
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Any Employee Assistance Program offered by the company
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A Workplace Violence Program Manager, if one exists. Often this individual is a professional victim advocate specially trained in these matters.
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Victim Advocate Liaisons, if this network exists (usually in larger organizations). These are usually trained full-time employees who volunteer for this role in a service capacity. While typically not counselors or therapists, these liaisons often operate under the direction of a Workplace Violence Program Manager.