Department of Justice

Office of Public Affairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Justice Department Launches Initiative to Fight Sexual Harassment

in the Workplace
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division today announced a second initiative to combat sexual harassment; the effort
announced today—the Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Initiative (SHWI)—focuses on workplace sexual harassment in the
public sector.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division enforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 against state and local government
employers. The law prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, and religion. Sexual
harassment is among the conduct prohibited by the law because it is a form of sex discrimination.

The Justice Department will also announce its first enforcement action brought under the SHWI. The Justice Department will file a
lawsuit against the City of Houston, alleging that the Houston Fire Department (HFD) discriminated against two female firefighters
on the basis of sex in violation of Title VII when it allowed them to be subjected to sexual harassment in the workplace.
As part of the Initiative, the Justice Department will continue to bring sex discrimination claims against state and local government
employers with a renewed emphasis on sexual harassment charges. The Department will also work to develop effective remedial
measures that can be used to hold public sector employers accountable where Title VII violations have been found, including
identifying changes to existing employer practices and policies that will result in safe work environments.

Through the Initiative, the Department will also conduct outreach to state and local government employers that centers around five
critical areas: (1) creating trusted and safe avenues for employees to report sexual harassment; (2) ensuring management support
for anti-discrimination policies and practices; (3) implementing accountability measures to ensure the timely and effective
resolution of sexual harassment complaints; (4) adopting comprehensive anti-sexual harassment policies and procedures that
include regular, tailored, and interactive training for employees; and (5) providing safeguards against retaliation for persons who
report sexual harassment and for employees who support them.

“All Americans are entitled to work with dignity in a place that is free of sexual harassment,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General
John Gore for the Civil Rights Division, in announcing the Initiative. “Through enforcement actions, effective remedial measures,
and outreach, the Justice Department—under Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ leadership—will fight to eliminate sexual harassment
among public sector employers.”

The creation of this Initiative reflects the Department of Justice’s commitment to the aggressive enforcement of the nation’s
anti-discrimination laws and an expansion of the Civil Rights Division’s efforts to eradicate sexual harassment under the leadership
of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

In October 2017, the Justice Department ​announced​ the Civil Rights Division’s first initiative to combat sexual harassment, the
Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative.​ In 2017, the Justice Department recovered more than $1 million in damages for victims of
harassment in housing. Many instances of sexual harassment in housing continue to go unreported. The Justice Department’s
investigations frequently uncover sexual harassment that has been ongoing for years or decades and identify numerous victims who
never reported the conduct to federal authorities.

Additional information about the Civil Rights Division, its enforcement of Title VII and other civil rights laws it enforces is available
on its Web sites at ​http://www.justice.gov/crt/​ and ​http://www.justice.gov/crt/emp​.

Component(s): ​Civil Rights Division​ ​Civil Rights - Employment Litigation Section​ Press Release Number: ​18-253