Mass. legislator hopes bill will eliminate non-disclosure agreements

BOSTON --  Since the #MeToo movement went viral, victims of sexual assault and harassment have been stepping out of the darkness and sharing their stories.

Meanwhile, one local lawmaker has filed a bill aimed at non-disclosure agreements in the workplace, in an effort to empower victims.

State Representative Diana DiZoglio, D-Methuen, wants to do away with companies' non-disclosure agreements that she says protect perpetrators of harassment, discrimination and other abuses while preventing victims from healing.

“Nobody should have to sign a clause that silences them,” DiZoglio said. “The focus has been on sexual harassment lately, but this bill would cover the host of issues associated with discrimination and harassment across the board, when it comes to the LGBT community, disabled individuals who might be suffering discrimination in the workplace.”

Non-disclosure agreements legally require victims in those cases not to sue - or at the very least to stay quiet. DiZoglio says perpetrators are essentially paying to silence their victims and potentially continue their crimes.

“It sends a message to our communities that if you have enough power you can purchase the silence of your victims and you can purchase the right to harass and discriminate,” she said.

The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination reports that between Jan. 1 of this year and last Friday, it's received 54 sexual harassment complaints - triple as many as the same period last year.

>>RELATED: #MeToo: Sexual harassment complaints rise in Massachusetts

DiZoglio says it's important victims continue to come forward, and her bill, she says, will ensure, their voices aren't stifled.

“It's simply unconscionable to ask somebody to stay silent about what happened to them,” DiZoglio said. “It allows… the victim to remain in isolation and incapacitates them in being allowed to move forward from what happened to them.”

The bill is currently in the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development. The committee chair gave an extension for the bill, and DiZoglio said she hopes to get it passed as quickly as possible.

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