A New Jersey political networking event has banned hard liquor in an attempt to combat sexual harassment and sexual assault.

New Jersey’s Chamber of Commerce hosts an annual networking event called the Walk to Washington on an Amtrak train from Newark to Washington, D.C. However, the event that took place on Feb. 27 was different than prior years, due to a new rule against hard alcohol.

The prohibition of hard liquor on the train was instituted in response to the #MeToo movement and larger cultural awareness around consent, harassment, and sexual assault. In addition to alcohol restrictions, the estimated 700 ticket holders at the event were also required to agree to a code of conduct prohibiting bad behavior and harassment.

Prior to the new rules, some attendees of the Walk to Washington have claimed that the nature of the event has led to incidents of sexual harassment and drunken assaults. By removing hard alcohol from the networking event, proponents of the ban stated they hoped it would lead to more professional behavior.

The claims of sexual harassment aboard the Walk to Washington train echo reports from the broader political community in New Jersey. Several former lawmakers, aides, and volunteers have come forward with stories of sexual harassment and assault.

According to one political consultant who worked on a campaign for New Jersey Governor Philip D. Murphy, she was subject to verbal abuse including being called a vulgar name by the campaign manager before being fired. Another former lawmaker in the state reported several instances of sexual harassment and embarassment ranging from verbal misogyny to outright assault.

In addition to the new rules surrounding the Walk to Washington, the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce has partnered with the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault to hold training sessions for private companies centered around preventing workplace harassment. According to one study from 2018, over 80 percent of women have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace.

Rights for Sexual Assault Survivors

Several states including New York and New Jersey have recently updated their sexual assault laws and expanded the statutes of limitations in order to allow survivors more time to pursue justice from their abusers. Under a new law that was signed into effect in early 2019, survivors of sexual abuse will be able to file lawsuits against their abusers until the age of 55 if they were abused as minors. Additionally, survivors who were previously prohibited from filing lawsuits due to the old statute of limitations have been granted a two year look back window to re-open their cases.

If you have been a survivors of sexual assault or harassment from New Jersey politicians, lawmakers, or other workers associated with political campaigns, you may have legal recourse. Survivors of sexual assault may be able to collect compensation for their experiences.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.