Position Statement – 2023

S.3220 (Cleare) 

Support

The Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY) supports the passage of S.3220, amending Public Buildings Law to require information on resources for domestic violence and human trafficking victims to be posted in public restrooms.  This bill would require that information for the New York State Police, the Division of Criminal Justice Services, the National Human Trafficking hotline, the Domestic Violence hotline and other information the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV) deems appropriate be posted in public restrooms to assist victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. The information would be provided in English and in any other languages deemed appropriate by the OPDV and the New York State Interagency Task Force on Human Trafficking.

Using a public restroom may be the rare occasion when a victim of trafficking or of domestic violence may have the privacy to seek help.  Posting the hotlines and resources in restrooms in public buildings creates an opportunity for victims to obtain the information, resources and assistance they need, particularly if they are traveling throughout the state.  WBASNY supports the mandatory posting of such information in public restrooms.