FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, September 13, 2018
Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, 415-554-6131

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MAYOR LONDON BREED SIGNS LEGISLATION CREATING OFFICE OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT RESPONSE PREVENTION
Legislation Will Create Centralized Point of Contact to Assist Survivors of Sexual Assault and Harassment

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today signed legislation creating the Office of Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP), which will help survivors of sexual assault and harassment better navigate City government and advocate on their behalf.

Under existing law, survivors are responsible for interacting with City offices that they believe to be relevant to their cases. As a result, there have been numerous instances in which survivors reported struggling to navigate City bureaucracy or being turned away from City departments, hospitals, and police stations.

“Survivors who come forward to report sexual assault or harassment deserve to be treated with respect while their cases are investigated. Instead, they often have to recount their deeply personal and painful experiences to multiple different authorities,” said Mayor Breed. “The SHARP Office will help us better support victims to ensure that they have an advocate helping them navigate this difficult process.”

The SHARP Office will be responsible for receiving complaints from members of the public concerning the manner in which City departments have handled allegations of sexual assault or harassment, as well as assisting complainants in interacting with the City government. In addition, it will study and develop recommendations about the City’s overall systems in handling these cases.

“By passing my legislation that creates a dedicated team to oversee accountability within our City departments when sexual violence cases are disregarded by any City department or employee, we are disrupting the current culture of injustice, and sending a message as a city that every survivor deserves respect,” said Supervisor Hillary Ronen. “I look forward to the work of this office to begin and for true accountability to be the new norm for all rape survivors in San Francisco.”

The Director of the SHARP Office will be appointed by the Human Rights Commission, with input from a three-member advisory committee composed of a sexual assault survivor, a community advocate, and an academic with expertise on sexual assault and harassment.

“The HRC is grateful for the leadership of Supervisor Ronen and the commitment of Mayor Breed to allocate resources to address system failures and to create opportunities for survivors to be heard,” said Sheryl Evans Davis, Executive Director of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission. “The creation of the SHARP Office is an essential step forward that will provide survivors the essential access to participate in developing strategies and protocols toward preventing attacks and supporting survivors.”

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