persons without regard to age, race, educational level, socioeconomic status, religion, or occupation.

effect on individuals, families, communities and the workplace.

approximately 15% of total crime costs in the United States each year.

the leading cause of physical injury to women. Such violence has a devastating impact on women's physical and emotional health and financial security.

1993 through 1998 the average annual number of violent victimizations committed by intimate partners was 1,082,110, 87% of which were committed against women.

likely than male murder victims to have been killed by an intimate partner. About one-third of female murder victims, and about 4% of male murder victims, were killed by an intimate partner.

approximately 987,400 rapes occur annually in the United States, 89% of the rapes are perpetrated against female victims.

stalked at some time in their lives. Four out of every 5 stalking victims are women. Stalkers harass and terrorize their victims by spying on the victims, standing outside their places of work or homes, making unwanted phone calls, sending or leaving unwanted letters or items, or vandalizing property.

victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking too often suffer adverse consequences in the workplace as a result of their victimization.

sexual assault, and stalking face the threat of job loss and loss of health insurance as a result of the illegal acts of the perpetrators of violence.

violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other violence against women at work is dramatic. Approximately 11% of all rapes occur in the workplace. About 50,500 individuals, 83% of whom are women, were raped or sexually assaulted in the workplace each year from 1992 through 1996. Half of all female victims of violent workplace crimes know their attackers. Nearly one out of 10 violent workplace incidents is committed by partners or spouses.

women on the job. Husbands, boyfriends, and ex-partners commit 15% of workplace homicides against women.

employed battered women surveyed were harassed at work by their abusive partners.

Accounting Office, between one-fourth and one-half of domestic violence victims surveyed in 3 studies reported that the victims lost a job due, at least in part, to domestic violence.

dating violence are more likely than other women to be unemployed, to suffer from health problems that can affect employability and job performance, to report lower personal income, and to rely on welfare.

partners by actively interfering with their ability to work, including preventing their partners from going to work, harassing their partners at work, limiting the access of their partners to cash or transportation, and sabotaging the child care arrangements of their partners.

have been victims of domestic violence as adults and between one-fourth and one-third reported being abused in the last year.

the workplace, can impair an employee's work performance, require time away from work, and undermine the employee's ability to maintain a job. Almost 50% of sexual assault survivors lose their jobs or are forced to quit in the aftermath of the assaults.

losing time from work due to the stalking and 7% never return to work.

Justice, crime costs an estimated $450,000,000,000 annually in medical expenses, lost earnings, social service costs, pain, suffering, and reduced quality of life for victims, which harms the Nation's productivity and drains the Nation's resources. (B) Violent crime accounts for $426,000,000,000 per year of this amount. (C) Rape exacts the highest costs per victim of any criminal offense, and accounts for $127,000,000,000 per year of the amount described in subparagraph (A).

that domestic violence costs United States employers between $3,000,000,000 and $5,000,000,000 annually in lost time and productivity. Other reports have estimated that domestic violence costs United States employers $13,000,000,000 annually.

violence have been estimated to be $31,000,000,000 per year.

safety directors at companies nationwide rank domestic violence as a high security concern.

recently surveyed said domestic violence has a harmful effect on their company's productivity, 47% said domestic violence negatively affects attendance, and 44% said domestic violence increases health care costs.

in welfare to work programs, may need to take time during business hours to:

counseling, or other services; or

domestic violence.

transportation, or communication; and "industry or activity affecting commerce" means any activity, business, or industry in commerce or in which a labor dispute would hinder or obstruct commerce or the free flow of commerce, and includes "commerce" and any "industry affecting commerce".

maintaining a visual or physical proximity to a person or conveying oral or written threats, including threats conveyed through electronic communications, or threats implied by conduct.

violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

violence, not including acts of self defense, as defined in subdivision (3) of Section 103 of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986, sexual assault, or death to the person, or the person's family or household member, if the conduct causes the specific person to have such distress or fear.

communications via telephone, mobile phone, computer, e-mail, video recorder, fax machine, telex, or pager.

employed by an employer.

as described in subparagraph (A) on a full or part-time basis, or as a participant in a work assignment as a condition of receipt of federal or State income-based public assistance.

State or any agency of the State; (B) any unit of local government or school district; or (C) any person that employs at least 50 employees.

provided or made available to employees by an employer, including group life insurance, health insurance, disability insurance, sick leave, annual leave, educational benefits, and pensions, regardless of whether such benefits are provided by a practice or written policy of an employer or through an "employee benefit plan". "Employee benefit plan" or "plan" means an employee welfare benefit plan or an employee pension benefit plan or a plan which is both an employee welfare benefit plan and an employee pension benefit plan.

parent, son, daughter, and persons jointly residing in the same household.

employee or an individual who stood in loco parentis to an employee when the employee was a son or daughter. "Son or daughter" means a biological, adopted, or foster child, a stepchild, a legal ward, or a child of a person standing in loco parentis, who is under 18 years of age, or is 18 years of age or older and incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability.

or is alleged to have committed any act or threat of domestic or sexual violence.

association, corporation, business trust, legal representative, or any organized group of persons.