Press releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 21, 2026

NWDL CONDEMNS EEOC DECISION TODAY ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT

The EEOC’s rollback of landmark guidance will weaken sexual harassment prevention

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE–Today the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) voted to rescind its Enforcement Guidance on Workplace Harassment. This move will weaken efforts to prevent and address workplace sexual harassment at a time when it remains widespread and underreported.

National Women’s Defense League Action Fund (NWDLAF), a national nonpartisan organization focused on the prevention of workplace sexual harassment, released the following statements from their Co-Founders: 

Sarah Jane Higginbotham, NWDL Co-Director & Co-Founder: 

“For millions of workers who are survivors of sexual harassment, the EEOC is often the last line of defense. While the EEOC’s decision today to rescind this guidance doesn’t change the laws on the books, it adds confusion to an already convoluted, intimidating and inadequate process that survivors rely on for safety and justice. In short, it is cruel.

“This unfounded decision undermines ten years’ worth of dedicated time and effort by the EEOC to create the guidance that was funded by taxpayers–American workers, 47% of whom are women and many more times likely to experience sexual harassment. This is yet another deeply disturbing and dangerous outcome from an administration that has proven time and again to disregard the rights and safety of women in the workplace.”

Emma Davidson Tribbs, NWDL Founding Director: 

“Ambiguity has never protected survivors of sexual harassment; it protects sexual harassers that benefit from silence and confusion. Survivors deserve a federal government that strengthens their rights, not one that makes them harder to understand or enforce.

“Clear, enforceable standards are essential to safe and equitable workplaces. NWDL will continue to hold institutions accountable, track federal actions that affect worker protections, and advocate for policies that center survivors, strengthen prevention, and ensure that no one is left without recourse when workplace systems fail.”

ABOUT NATIONAL WOMEN’S DEFENSE LEAGUE ACTION

The National Women’s Defense League (NWDL) is a national nonpartisan organization dedicated to preventing workplace sexual harassment and protecting survivors through research, advocacy, and survivor support. We are a coalition of advocates, political and legislative staff, lobbyists, policymakers, and survivors from across the country working toward a future where everyone is respected in the workplace and where sexual harassment is not tolerated.