The provincial government is considering paid work leaves for victims of sexual and domestic violence.

Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity Mitzi Dean says the province is considering changes to the Employment Standards Act to do so, and says public feedback is now being taken online.

She says victims of domestic and sexual assault need to rebuild their lives.

“I remember when I was an employer of about 20 professional people just a few years ago, when one of my team members came to me on a Monday morning and told me that she had been raped on the weekend. Someone had put the rape drug in her drink on the weekend. She wasn’t able to be productive at work, she needed time away,” Dean says.

“For many people, after an assault, losing a day’s wages – sacrificing both economic security and, potentially, the safety of themselves or their families – is not an option. People who have faced domestic and sexual violence need to rebuild their lives.”

B.C. and Alberta are the only provinces that don’t offer paid leaves from work for domestic and sexual violence victims.

A questionnaire for the public on the changes being considered to the Employment Standards Act can be found here.