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Thursday, Oct 18, 2012 1:28 PM UTC

Study: Rise in discrimination charges on Capitol Hill

Racial and sexual discrimination claims have increased over the last five years, according to a new report

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Topics: U.S. Congress, Racism, Discrimination, Capitol Hill, Sexism, ,

Study: Rise in discrimination charges on Capitol Hill (Credit: AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

A new study by the Office of Compliance (OoC) in Washington D.C. finds that complaints of discrimination and harassment on Capitol Hill have more than doubled in the last five years.

The Hill reports:

“The number of discrimination and harassment claims has risen from 64 allegations in 2006 to 196 brought forward in 2011. And alleged instances of retaliation have grown from 44 cases in 2006 to 108 charges in 2011.

The majority — 63 percent — of allegations raised by employees on Capitol Hill came from the U.S. Capitol Police, the OoC found in its study, which looked at the time period from Oct. 1, 2010 to Sept. 30, 2011.”

The OoC, which is tasked with protecting workplace rights, also found that there were 142 total complaints that alleged 332 different violations of the Congressional Accountability Act, and 23 of the cases resulted in financial settlements.

 

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com. More Jillian Rayfield.

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