Sexual Assault, Harassment, & Consent Resources
During the 2022 legislative session, Indiana passed HB 1079: Elements of Rape, giving consent a legal definition. After three years of our advocacy, we were able to see the bill through and protect survivors. Before this, sex without consent is not a crime in Indiana unless there is a proven use of physical force, threat of force, or incapacitation.
Legislation is Women4Change fighting for:
Our first legislative priority was establishing a state-wide definition of consent. Now that Indiana has a legal definition on consent, the state has taken the first step towards developing legal protections for survivors. The Indiana Legislative Council assigned a committee to study the topic of sexual consent, but there’s more work to be done.
We’re also pushing for increased training and education of state officials in regard to sexual misconduct, and elimination of the legislature that gives employers final veto power on whether a workplace sexual assault case can be filed in court. Indiana fails to protect its residents in the corporate sector, too; loopholes in Indiana’s state code allow businesses with under 15 employees to require that the employer give consent for a workplace sexual assault case to be brought to court. This loophole prevents many victims of workplace harassment from bringing their case to court, denying them the justice a trial could provide.
Indiana lacks restrictions around non-disclosure agreements, company agreements that prevent survivors of sexual harassment from speaking out or sharing their story. Often, these agreements force women in the workplace to choose between staying silent about their own assault or losing their job.