Nobody wants to be the poster child for a law regarding sexual assault in the workplace, but that's exactly who Carrie Bobb is. After her own experience, Bobb began advocating for changes regarding arbitration, which silences the victim, she says.
"I learned a lot about this little clause called 'arbitration,'" she says. "Everything is confidential, so it silences the victim so that nothing can be shared, and it's shielding the predators, it's an unintentional consequence."
Carrie's Law, as it's been dubbed, removes sexual assault and rape from arbitration clauses in employment contracts. Around 60 million Americans have this clause in their contracts. Arbitration acts as an alternative to going to court, so this clause causes you to waive your right to pursue justice in the court of law, says Bobb. In her case, the contract just said "Tort," meaning any wrongful act.
"So a company can harm you in any way, and you have no recourse in court," she says. "We're not advocating that everybody go and sue their employers, we're advocating for transparency."
Not being to file and put an assault on public record makes it so there's no way to find other victims. It also prevents future employers from knowing if someone is a predator or has assaulted a coworker. No one can talk about it, and it's non-discoverable, Bobb says.
The Carrie Bob Foundation is hoping for companies to be the heroes and change policy voluntarily. Those in the community can reach out to representatives and ask them to support Carrie's Law. You can read the entire bill at thecarriebobbfoundation.org. Keep up with their efforts on social media by following Carrie and the Organization at @carriebobb and @carriebobbfoundation.
"We shouldn't need a law for this, it's absolutely crazy."
