Home : Women's Rights

Abused Domestic Workers of Diplomats Seek Justice From International Commission (11/15/2007)
NEW YORK –Domestic workers who were exploited and abused in the U.S. by foreign diplomats petitioned an international commission today because U.S. domestic law denies them their rights and a way to seek justice.

Hearing Brings Modern-Day Slavery to Light, ACLU Urges State Department to Play Its Role in Stopping It (10/18/2007)
Washington, DC – Modern-day slavery exists in the shadows, but it is alive and well, said witnesses today at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the reauthorization of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. The American Civil Liberties Union is urging Congress to add new safeguards that prevent the abuse, exploitation and trafficking of domestic employees by foreign diplomats and to remove the shield of diplomatic immunity that prevents these victims from holding the diplomats accountable.

Senate Judiciary Committee Must Obtain Iron-Clad Commitments from Judge Mukasey before Moving Forward (10/17/2007)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union calls on the Senate Judiciary Committee to consider the confirmation process of former U.S. District Court Judge Michael Mukasey for Attorney General as an opportunity to address the longstanding and unresolved issues surrounding the Department of Justice. This is also the time for the committee to thoroughly examine Judge Mukasey’s record from his time on the bench.

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Holds U.S. Responsible for Protecting Domestic Violence Victims (10/09/2007)
NEW YORK – Jessica Lenahan (formerly Gonzales), whose three daughters were kidnapped by her estranged husband and killed, and whose domestic violence protection claims were rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court, will finally get her day in court. In the first decision of its kind, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) ruled on Friday that it will hear her case. The American Civil Liberties Union and Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Clinic represent Lenahan.

La ACLU logra acuerdo negociado para mujeres inmigrantes en un caso de acoso sexual (08/29/2007)
NUEVA YORK – En una contundente reafirmación del derecho de las mujeres inmigrantes a trabajar sin temor a la agresión y al acoso sexual, la Unión Americana de Libertades Civiles (ACLU, por sus siglas en inglés) anunció el día de hoy el acuerdo negociado en un caso que involucró a tres mujeres latinas que fueron acosadas por su patrón en una tienda de Manhattan.

ACLU Wins Settlement for Immigrant Women in Sexual Harassment Case (08/29/2007)
NEW YORK - In a resounding affirmation of immigrant women's right to work without fear of sexual assault and harassment, the American Civil Liberties Union today announced a settlement in a case involving three Latina women harassed by their employer in a Manhattan retail store.

ACLU Obtains Judgment Against NYC for Gender Discrimination Against Correction Officer Who Reported Sexual Assault (08/21/2007)
NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union obtained a judgment late yesterday against the New York City Department of Correction (DOC) on behalf of 27-year-old Danielle Simmonds, a New York City correction officer who claimed that the DOC discriminated against her and subjected her to a hostile work environment after she reported an on-duty sexual assault by a co-worker. The $95,001 judgment resolves a lawsuit filed by the ACLU in federal district court.

ACLU Cheers House Passage of Pay Equity Legislation (07/31/2007)
Washington, DC - The ACLU today cheered the House of Representatives for passing H.R. 2831, the "Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007," aimed at fixing the May 29, 2007 Supreme Court decision undermining protections against wage discrimination in compensation that have been bedrock principles of civil rights law for decades.

Rhode Island Groups Sharply Criticize Governor for Attack on Divorce Laws (07/30/2007)
PROVIDENCE, RI - The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island today announced the favorable settlement of its lawsuit on behalf of a Christian prisoner who has been barred since 2003 from preaching during Christian religious services at the state prison.

ACLU Praises Senate Introduction of Pay Equity Legislation (07/20/2007)
Washington, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the Senate introduction of the Fair Pay Restoration Act, companion to H.R. 2831, Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007. This bipartisan legislation would restore protections against pay discrimination that were undermined by the May 29, 2007 Supreme Court decision Ledbetter v. Goodyear.