NNEDV, Partners Announce Release of Paid Safe Leave Model Legislative Language

September 5, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: NNEDV Communications Team (Communications@NNEDV.org)

Washington, D.C. – Today, the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) and partner organizations announce the release of “The Need for Paid Safe Leave & Model Legislative Language.” This new resource is the first product of the safe leave working group, of which NNEDV is a proud member. The document is a resource for policymakers, advocates, and stakeholders, providing key context for the importance of paid safe leave and including model policy language for providing paid safe leave, which can be used directly or adapted to appropriate contexts.

The safe leave working group is made up of state, national, and tribal experts and advocates from across policy spaces, based on the principle that paid, protected leave from work is an essential tool for the safety, agency, and economic security of survivors of all types of violence, including gender-based violence and harassment, family and domestic violence, and sexual violence. The Center for American Progress and Futures Without Violence co-chair the working group.

“NNEDV is honored to join our safe leave working group colleagues to release ‘The Need for Paid Safe Leave & Model Legislative Language’ as we strive to create a world where survivors of violence are supported in their workplaces and all aspects of their lives,” said Stephanie Love-Patterson, NNEDV President & CEO. “Survivors need paid safe leave to recover from violence, relocate, obtain protective orders, and seek other life-saving services. Survivors should not need to choose between their safety and financial security. Securing access to paid safe leave has long been a priority for NNEDV and our membership, and we remain committed to advancing legislation that reflects this priority.”

As the resource notes, a large percentage of workers are survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, or other forms of violence. Maintaining economic independence is critical to survivors’ safety and ability to recover from trauma. However, many survivors struggle to remain connected to the workforce as they face numerous challenges in obtaining and maintaining employment as a consequence of the abuse or violence. Often, survivors are forced to choose between their safety and their jobs because they cannot take time away from work to leave the abusive relationship or to address the impacts of the violence without risking their job or their paycheck.

Safe leave—policies that allow survivors to take paid time away from work to heal, recover, and make themselves and their families safe—promises to strengthen survivors’ ties to the workforce and allow them to meet critical needs in the wake of violence. Unfortunately, many working Americans do not have access to any paid time off from work, let alone paid safe time or paid sick time.

Every survivor deserves access to the resources and support they need, including at work. NNEDV and our partners will continue working with policymakers, advocates, employers, and other stakeholders to make this vision a reality.

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The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) represents the 56 state and U.S. territorial coalitions against domestic violence. NNEDV is a social change organization working to create a social, political, and economic environment in which domestic violence no longer exists. NNEDV works to make domestic violence a national priority, change the way society responds to domestic violence, and strengthen domestic violence advocacy at every level.