Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Paid Sick Leave, and #CareCan'tWait: Your civic action to-do list for 4-5-21
3. Enhancing prevention efforts and improving our institutional response to sexual assault are key to changing our culture of violence and misogyny, especially for survivors from marginalized communities who face other compounding barriers to safety.
In a nutshell: April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, but survivors' needs are going unmet. We need the Senate to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act to expand prevention programming and protections for survivors, invest in culturally specific victim service providers, and bolster access to justice for survivors.
Take action: Tell your senators to support the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021 when it comes to the Senate!
2. The lack of a national paid sick leave standard imposes a false choice between health and economic security upon women disproportionately. We can create a more just workforce so that no one has to choose between their or their family’s well-being and a paycheck.
In a nutshell: The Healthy Families Act would guarantee working Americans the ability to earn up to seven paid sick days a year to recover from short-term illnesses, access preventive care, care for a sick family member, or seek assistance in the wake of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
Take action: Urge your elected officials to co-sponsor the Health Families Act when it is soon reintroduced in Congress!
1. Caregiving is foundational to a working economy. We all deserve access to child care, paid family and medical leave, and home and community-based services. And caregivers deserve fair pay and worker protections for their essential labor, to boot!
In a nutshell: We need to invest in the caregiving infrastructure to create quality jobs, expand access to child care, and secure national paid family and medical leave for a truly equitable economic recovery from COVID-19.
Take action: Email your senators and representative now to show your support for the Child Care for Working Families Act, the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act, and funding for direct care jobs in the next federal recovery package!
