New York, NY, Tuesday, April 11, 2023 – 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.

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The Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY) is the professional membership organization of choice for nearly 4,000 attorneys throughout New York State and the largest statewide women’s bar association in the country. For more than four decades, WBASNY has been a singularly important resource for women lawyers, providing professional networking, continuing legal education programming, leadership training, and advocacy for the rights of women, children, and families. Through involvement with WBASNY’s 20 regional chapters and its 40-plus substantive law committees, WBASNY’s members collaborate with one another on a variety of issues and perform public and community service, in furtherance of its mission to promote the advancement of the status of women in society and women in the legal profession; to promote the fair and equal administration of justice; and to act as a unified voice for its members with respect to issues of statewide, national and international significance to women generally and women attorneys in particular. WBASNY holds United Nations NGO status with the U.N.’s Department of Public Information, and Special Consultative status in association with the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). WBASNY is also a founding member of the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations.