Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 10 a.m. (New York City time), Committee Room - City Hall
Committee: Committee on Women and Gender Equity
The Committee on Women and Gender Equity, jointly with the Committee on Technology, held an oversight hearing on protections against harassment in digital and physical spaces for women and gender-expansive people, held on Denim Day during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The committees heard Resolution 99 (designating May 28 as Menstrual Hygiene Day, statement read on behalf of Council Member Louis), a preconsidered bill (T26-761, sponsored by Deputy Speaker Williams) on reporting at City agencies on efforts to combat sexual harassment and EEO violations, resolutions sponsored by Council Member Hudson (Res. 250-252) on LGBT+ protections, a preconsidered resolution supporting the state CREEEP Act, and Resolutions 352 and 303 sponsored by Chair Farías on federal nonconsensual intimate image and statute of limitations legislation. Administration witnesses from the Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence and the Commission on Gender Equity described services, training, and the street harassment awareness campaign; the committees then heard public testimony. No votes were taken. One public speaker was removed for remaining off topic.
0:10 Good morning. Welcome to the
0:10 committee on women and general
0:12 equity jointly with committing
0:14 on technology at this time we
0:15 ask that you please. Sounds
0:17 all electronics if you wish to
0:19 testify. You must see one of
0:19 the sergeant at arms in the
0:21 back and I no point. Please do
0:22 not approach the day as chair,
0:23 you begin. Oh, sergeant, can
0:35 you bring the gavel, I
0:54 officially can start. Good
0:55 morning, everyone. I'm council
0:56 member Amanda Farah, chair of
0:58 the committee on women and
0:59 gender equity. I'm excited t
1:00 obe joined by the chair of the
1:02 committee on technology
1:03 Council Member Carmen De La
1:04 Rosa for today's hearing on
1:07 protections against harassment
1:08 in digital and physical spaces
1:08 for women and gender expensive
1:10 people.
1:11 This morning. We've been
1:12 joined by council members
1:13 allah ball showman and Riley
1:15 to start us off. I'm going to
1:17 turn and read a statement from
1:19 counsel member luis, they will
1:20 be hearing resolution number
1:24 99, sponsored by the council
1:25 member declaring May 28 as men
1:27 day in the City of New York
1:31 just to begin her statement
1:31 .firstly, thank you, chair
1:34 Farah.
1:34 And De La costa for your
1:35 leadership and for advancing
1:36 this important resolution
1:37 before the committee today I
1:39 am proud to bring forward
1:39 resolution 99, whic
1:42 hdesignates made 28 as much
1:43 hygiene jeanne day in the City
1:44 of New York this resolution
1:46 speaks to an issue that is
1:48 often overlooked yet impacts
1:49 millions of individuals acros
1:50 sour City and country every
1:53 single day menstrual hygiene
1:54 is not a luxury it is the
1:56 fundamental component of
1:57 health, dignity and equity yet
1:58 far too many individuals
2:00 particularly low income women
2:01 and young women, young people
2:04 continue to face barriers and
2:05 accessing basic monster
2:07 prodts.uc
2:07 we know that period. Poverty
2:09 is real. It forces individuals
2:11 to make impossible choices
2:12 between food and hygiene
2:15 causes students to miss school
2:15 and pushes people out of work
2:17 and daily life simply because
2:18 they like access to essential
2:22 resources.
2:23 Millions of individuals like
2:23 access to adequate products
2:24 and the consequences extend
2:26 beyond physical health t
2:28 omental health, educational
2:29 attainment and economic
2:30 stability when individuals are
2:31 forced to use makeshift
2:33 materials are used product
2:34 sbeyond safe limits. It puts
2:37 their health at risk and
2:38 perpetuates the of an
2:39 inequality that are that we
2:41 are actively working t
2:44 odismantle.
2:44 Designating monster high
2:45 jeanne day in New York City is
2:45 an important step in breaking
2:48 stigma, advancing public
2:49 awareness and reinforcing our
2:50 commitment to ensuring that
2:51 . All individuals can manage
2:52 their health with dignity. It
2:54 creates space for education
2:56 for community engagement and
2:58 for continue advocacy to
2:59 expand access to mental
2:59 products across our schools,
3:02 shelters and public
3:04 institutions this resolution
3:05 affirms that mention health is
3:06 public health and that equity
3:08 requires us to address even
3:10 the most basic needs of our
3:11 communities with urgency and
3:14 intention. I urge my
3:15 colleagues to support
3:16 resolution 99. Thank you. As
3:20 many of you are aware today is
3:21 nrecognized on the last
3:25 Wednesday in and honor of
3:27 sexual assault awareness month
3:28 as the longest running sexual
3:31 violence prevention and
3:32 education campaign in history
3:35 ,damn day? Asks community
3:36 members elected officials,
3:37 businesses and students and
3:38 all individuals to make a
3:40 social statement with their
3:43 fashion by wearing jeans as a
3:44 visible means of protest
3:47 against the misconceptions
3:48 that continue to surround
3:49 sexual violence. People
3:50 . Are encouraged to where it's
3:51 denim to combat victim blaming
3:53 and educate others about
3:55 sexual violence this year on
3:58 denham dairy, the committees
3:58 on women in gender equity and
4:00 technology will examine
4:01 protections against harassmen
4:02 t, including sexual harassment.
4:04 Harassment is a complex issue
4:06 rooted in societal norms that
4:09 reinforce gender empowered
4:10 disparities and
4:12 disproportionately impacts
4:12 women and gender expensive
4:15 people, according to a 20 22
4:16 poll of workers in New York
4:17 state more than a third of
4:20 cecile women and half of
4:22 respondents who identify as.
4:23 Or gender expansive people,
4:23 reported experiencing sexual
4:28 harassment in the workplace.
4:29 And while this number is far
4:31 too high and workplaces
4:33 harassment laws proved a
4:35 structured civil and
4:35 specialized legal framework
4:38 that forces employers to
4:39 prevent and stop harassment
4:41 based on protected
4:42 characteristics, but we kno
4:43 wthat harassment is a pervasive
4:45 issue that can occur anywhere,
4:47 including public spaces and
4:51 online, it can be difficult
4:51 for police to respond to
4:52 complaints and for people to
4:53 feel their concerns have
4:55 really been addressed. There
4:56 are complex legal that play
4:58 and the burden of proof for a
5:00 criminal response is highe
5:01 rthan in the civil system. Some
5:03 speech is protected by our
5:04 freedom of speech rights and
5:07 we lacked jurisdiction for bad
5:08 actors outside the country
5:10 ,research research has shown
5:11 that as many as 80% of such
5:13 these gender women in New York
5:15 City have experienced some
5:16 form of street harassment.
5:19 Additionally, online
5:19 harassment against women is
5:20 escalating with nearly one I
5:23 nfour women reporting that they
5:24 have experienced the online
5:27 abuse. The impt iacs even more
5:28 severe for lgbt plus women
5:29 with a recent survey showing
5:31 more than half of lgbt plus
5:33 lgbt q plus women reported
5:35 having experienced online
5:38 harassment. So today we'll ask
5:39 the administration how they
5:39 are planning to address
5:40 harassment in New York City
5:43 what resources are available
5:44 for those who have experienced
5:45 harassment and how can we
5:47 better protect women and
5:47 gender expensive people from
5:50 harassment.
5:51 Now I'd like to invite chair
5:52 La Rosa to deliver her opening
5:56 statement.
5:57 Thank you. Good morning and
5:57 welcome to our hearing, I am
5:58 Council Member Carmen of the
6:01 committee on technology and
6:02 I'm pleased to join my
6:03 colleague, chairman Farah
6:04 years for this very important
6:06 hearing on protections against
6:08 harassment, digital and
6:09 physical spaces for women and
6:11 gender expensive people,
6:12 especially on denim day a day
6:14 dedicated to raising awareness
6:16 about sexual violence and
6:16 standing in support of victims
6:20 . Sexual harassment and
6:20 harassment more broadly has
6:22 evolved over the years with
6:24 advancements in technolog
6:25 yharassment is no longer
6:26 limited to physical spaces it
6:28 has taken New forms digitally
6:29 on social media messaging
6:32 platforms and even in virtual
6:35 reality now bad actors also
6:37 commit harassment, fraud,
6:38 stocking and other crimes
6:40 through digital means that
6:43 directly affect people's lives
6:44 in the physical world
6:45 . In many cases, abusers
6:47 gather personal information
6:48 about their victims online and
6:50 weaponize it to commit cyber
6:52 stalking, taxing identity
6:55 theft, blackmail,
6:55 nonconsensual image sharing
6:57 sometisme even with generated
6:59 effects and other forms of
7:03 abuse photos, location,
7:05 workplaces, schools, family
7:06 details ip addresses phone
7:08 numbers, devices and daily
7:10 routines cannot be collected
7:13 and misused
7:13 . This information be shared
7:14 directly by individuals
7:15 without realizing the risk
7:17 exposed to data breaches or
7:18 obtained to apps and online
7:21 services where users agreed t
7:22 obroad data sharing terms
7:24 without reading the privacy
7:28 policies
7:28 . Once available, this
7:29 information can be weaponized
7:32 to harass stock, threaten,
7:34 impersonate blackmail and
7:36 exploit victims online.
7:37 More needs to be done t
7:39 oeffectively prosecute these
7:40 offenses and to ensure that
7:42 future acts of online
7:43 harassment and abuse are
7:46 deterred. Recent reports
7:46 indicate that online
7:49 harassment has increased
7:49 significantly with some
7:50 reports showing a rise over
7:52 around 17% in the last year
7:55 alone. However, the real
7:56 number be even higher as many
7:58 victims choose not to repor
8:00 tor speak about their
8:03 experiences.
8:03 Some victims feel ashamed,
8:05 afraid, unsupported or
8:06 hopeless about receiving
8:07 justice or protection.
8:10 Anyone can be a victim of
8:11 online harassment. However,
8:12 reports show that women,
8:15 transgender individuals and
8:15 members of the lgbt plus
8:18 community are often
8:19 disproportionately targeted
8:22 online.
8:22 For this reason digital
8:23 safety and privacy education
8:24 must be a top priority
8:27 protecting personal
8:28 information online is n
8:28 olonger optional it is
8:30 essential part of ensuring
8:31 that personal safety and
8:33 freedom of everyone,
8:34 especially women and gender
8:36 expensive people with our New
8:38 reality of significance of
8:39 significant online
8:42 connectivity and future
8:43 promises of increasing
8:45 technology second logical
8:47 sophistication we need to be
8:47 even more prepared to protect
8:49 vulnerable people from online
8:51 harassment
8:51 . Just this past over 99 day
8:55 period, the a the ex chat box
8:57 crock generated and post it
9:01 over a half a million intimat
9:01 e, deep fake images of women in
9:04 the overwhelming majority of
9:05 the cases without their
9:07 consent, prompting bands by
9:09 multiple international
9:10 governments and investigations
9:14 by the with the spread of I
9:14 would t devices and remote
9:16 controlled technology abusers
9:17 can harass victims remotely
9:19 through the smart home devices
9:21 , including cameras, locks,
9:24 thermostats, speakers and
9:27 security systems as with abuse
9:28 online and in virtual reality
9:29 ,the abuser can be located
9:32 anywhere, blurring the
9:34 territorial boundaries.
9:35 However, the legal system
9:36 still largely depends on
9:38 territorial jurisdiction,
9:39 making it difficult t
9:41 oidentify, investigate and
9:42 prosecute some abusers
9:44 . Today we wish to learn from
9:46 the administration about the
9:47 initiative that they have
9:48 taken on to come back online
9:51 harassment, educate New
9:52 yorkers about their rights on
9:53 the local state and federal
9:55 laws as well as the resources
9:57 available to New yorkers who a
9:58 poor victim victims of online
10:01 harassment. The committee is
10:02 also looking forward to
10:03 hearing testimony for the
10:04 public for a better
10:05 understanding of the present
10:08 challenges around online
10:09 harassment as well as what
10:10 measures can be taken to
10:12 mitigate and protect these
10:12 harms from occurring
10:15 . Finally, I want to express
10:16 my sincere gratitude to the
10:17 council. I remember and policy
10:20 analyst Eric brown as well as
10:21 in putting this hearing bomb?
10:27 Together. I'd also like t
10:29 orecognize the technology
10:30 committee members and council
10:31 members who are present, and I
10:35 think that's it from the
10:36 technology committee, but we
10:37 also have council members out
10:38 of the ball council members
10:40 here with us as well. I will
10:41 now turn it over to the
10:45 committee counsel. Such a
10:46 thank you. Card La Rosa.
10:48 Additionally, today the
10:49 committees will also hear the
10:52 following legislation pre
10:53 considered introduction number
10:54 t 26 761 sponsored pride
10:57 deputy speaker Williams in
10:59 relation to reporting on
11:01 efforts to combat sexual
11:03 harassment and equal
11:04 employment opportunity
11:05 violations at eight at City
11:06 agencies and to repeal local
11:07 law. Adrienne oh, one for the
11:09 year 20 18 relating to the
11:13 climate surveys and action
11:14 plans to combat sexual
11:15 harassment and equal
11:16 employment opportunity
11:17 violations at City agencies. I
11:18 will now read a statement from
11:20 deputy speaker Williams. Thank
11:22 you, chair Farah for hearing
11:23 this bill today for many New
11:25 yorkers, especially those
11:26 working in City government,
11:27 the workplace should be
11:28 somewhere they feel safe and
11:30 respected, but too often, that
11:32 is not the case and when
11:34 issues arise, the response can
11:35 feel unclear or incomplete
11:36 this bill is about getting a
11:38 clear picture of what is
11:39 actually happening inside our
11:41 agencies and how those
11:43 situations are being handled
11:44 right now while anti sexual
11:46 harassment trainings are
11:47 required. We do not have a
11:49 clear understanding of who is
11:50 being reached, how consistent
11:52 those trainings are across
11:53 agencies
11:53 . Or whether they are being
11:54 implemented in a meaningfu
11:57 lway.
11:57 We also love transparency
11:58 around what happens after a
12:00 complaint is.
12:01 Made this legislation would
12:02 require more detailed
12:03 reporting from casts on
12:05 trainings, including who is
12:05 being trained and how those
12:07 trainings are delivered, it
12:08 would also require City
12:10 agencies to report on the
12:12 outcomes of substantiated
12:13 complaints while still
12:14 protecting individuals privacy
12:18 . That level of transparency
12:18 is essential if we expect
12:19 these systems to function with
12:21 credibility and consistency
12:23 across agencies and
12:23 communities like southeast
12:25 queens were many residents
12:26 work in public service. Thes
12:28 eissues are not abstract.
12:29 They shape people's day to
12:31 day experiences at work,
12:32 people should be able to trust
12:34 that clear processes are in
12:35 place and that those processes
12:37 are followed. If we are
12:38 serious about improving
12:40 workplace culture. It starts
12:43 to transparency, consistency
12:43 and accountability this bil
12:44 lmoves us in that direction.
12:48 Thank you, deputy speaker
12:49 Williams for sharing those
12:50 remarks. Additionally, the
12:51 committees will hear Eric
12:52 resolutions sponsored by
12:54 council Hudson rezo number 2
12:56 50 calls upon the New York
12:57 state legislature to pass from
12:58 the governor to sign
13:00 legislation to ensure equal
13:02 educational opportunity, basic