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Board creates Office of Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention to handle survivor complaints
Summary
The board unanimously approved an ordinance establishing the Office of Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention under the Human Rights Commission to handle complaints about city department failures, promote transparency and improve survivor services.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on July 31 voted unanimously to establish an Office of Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention within the Human Rights Commission.
Supervisor Hillary Ronan, who authored the measure, said the office will address failures by city departments, promote transparency and develop policies for better systemic responses to incidents of sexual harassment and assault. Ronan credited survivors who worked with her office and advocacy organizations; during her remarks she named several individuals who helped shape the legislation and thanked staff who drafted the ordinance.
Ronan said the office is intended to “disrupt the current culture of minimizing and neglecting victims” and to help survivors navigate complaint processes, seek accountability and access services. She said the ordinance was developed in close collaboration with community agencies and survivor advocates who also testified in committee hearings.
The ordinance passed unanimously and was described as narrowly crafted to create a central point of accountability and to improve the city’s response to survivor complaints across departments.
What happens next: The office will be set up under the Human Rights Commission; the city will begin staffing and defining operational procedures as specified in the ordinance.
