Sexual harassment at work is unfortunately still quite common in Rhode Island as it is elsewhere across the country. Sexual harassment is illegal in the workplace under both Rhode island state and federal laws. Sexual harassment is treated as a form of workplace sexual discrimination. There are several resources available to victims of workplace sexual harassment in Rhode Island. These include your own employer and HR department, state and federal anti-discrimination agencies and in more extreme cases where a crime of sexual assault has taken place, police departments who can take action against a perpetrator. This article explores some of the main sexual harassment resources available to victims in Rhode Island.
Administrative Resources
There are two main government agencies that deal with cases of sexual harassment.
The Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) is the federal agency that enforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Act 1964. This federal legislation prohibits workplace discrimination, including sex discrimination. Cases of sexual harassment are treated as forms of sex discrimination and are illegal. There are penalties attached to allowing sexual harassment to occur in a workplace. The EEOC works with the Rhode Island anti discrimination agency, the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights (RICHR), but investigates sexual harassment cases in places of employment where there are 15 or more employees. The RICHR investigates cases of sexual harassment in places of employment where there are 4 or more employees.
The RICHR enforces state anti discrimination legislation, the Rhode Island Fair Employment Act, which like Title VII makes sex discrimination illegal and within that definition includes sexual harassment in the workplace.
Victims of sexual harassment in Rhode Island who have failed to get their employer to cooperate should file a complaint with either their nearest RICHR office or the nearest EEOC office depending on the size of the workforce where they work. In both cases, a complaint must be submitted within a year of the alleged case of sexual harassment. Either agency will investigate the complaint and do what they can to resolve the issue. In some cases, penalties may be laid against the employer if a clear breach of the worker’s rights has been confirmed. If no resolution is possible, you may be given permission to file a lawsuit against the employer.
The state’s RIHCR office in Providence and contact details are as follows:
Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights
180 Westminster Street, 3rd Floor
Providence, RI 02903
Phone: (401) 222-2661
Fax: (401) 222-2616
TTY (Relay RI): (401) 222-2664
The only EEOC office in Rhode Island is also in Providence:
Equal Employment Opportunities Commission
1 Capitol Hill, Providence, RI 02908, United States
Phone: +1 401-222-3090
Emergency Resources for Victims
If you have been the victim of a sex crime such as an assault or rape, you should contact 911 and follow instructions. If you decide to file a charge against the perpetrator of the assault or rape, you should do so at the nearest police department to where you live. A list of police departments across Rhode Island is given below.
Providence Police Department
Providence, RI, United States
Open 24 hours · +1 401-272-3121
Cranston Police Department
Cranston, RI, United States
Open 24 hours · +1 401-942-2211
East Providence Police Department
East Providence, RI, United States
+1 401-435-7600
Newport Police Department
Newport, RI, United States
+1 401-847-1306
Warwick Police Department
Warwick, RI, United States
+1 401-468-4200
Pawtucket Police Department
Pawtucket, RI, United States
Open 24 hours · +1 401-727-9100
Woonsocket Police Department
Woonsocket, RI, United States
Open 24 hours · +1 401-766-1212
North Providence Police Department
North Providence, RI, United States
West Warwick Police Department
West Warwick, RI, United States
+1 401-821-4323
Lincoln Police Department
Lincoln, RI, United States
Open 24 hours · +1 401-333-1111
Central Falls Police Department
Central Falls, RI, United States
+1 401-727-7411
Barrington Police Department
Barrington, RI, United States
+1 401-437-3935
Charlestown Police Department
Charlestown, RI, United States
+1 401-364-1212
Smithfield Police Department
Smithfield, RI, United States
Open 24 hours · +1 401-231-2500
Narragansett Police Department
Narragansett, RI, United States
Open 24 hours · +1 401-789-1091
Cumberland Police Department
Cumberland, RI, United States
+1 401-333-2500
Foster Police Department
Foster, RI, United States
+1 401-397-3317
North Kingstown Police Department
North Kingstown, RI, United States
Open 24 hours · +1 401-294-3311
North Smithfield Police Department
North Smithfield, RI, United States
Open 24 hours · +1 401-762-1212
Middletown Police Department
Middletown, RI, United States
Opens 8AM · +1 401-846-1144
Emotional Support Resources
Sexual harassment and assault whether it is in the workplace or elsewhere can be an emotionally exhausting and challenging experience. Each state has resources that can help victims of sexual harassment and assault cope with the emotional trauma of their experience. In Rhode Island the main agency is Day One, which is unique in that it deals exclusively with sexual assault and harassment. Contact details are as follows.
Address
Day One
100 Medway Street
Providence
Tel: (24 Hour Helpline) 1.800.494.8100
Email: info@dayoneri.org
Get Help Today
If you are being sexually harassed, you can report it to the authorities at your job, school, or local law enforcement. If you believe you have been sexually harassed at work fill out a free evaluation form.
