Domestic violence can permeate the lives and compromise the
safety of employees with tragic, destructive and often fatal results.
Domestic violence occurs within a wide spectrum of relationships,
including married and formerly married couples, couples with children
in common, couples who live together or have lived together, gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender couples, and couples who are dating
or who have dated in the past. Domestic violence represents a pattern
of coercive tactics which can include physical, psychological, sexual,
economic and emotional abuse perpetrated by one person against another
in an intimate relationship or in the same household, with the goal
of establishing and maintaining power and control over the victim.
In addition to exacting a tremendous toll from the individuals it
directly affects, domestic violence often spills over into the workplace,
compromising the safety of both victims and co-workers and resulting
in lost productivity, increased health care costs, increased absenteeism,
and increased employee turnover. The Village will take appropriate
actions to promote safety in the workplace and respond effectively
to the needs of victims of domestic violence.
For purposes of this policy and pursuant to the Illinois Victims'
Economic Security and Safety Act (VESSA) (820 ILCS 180/1 et seq.),
the following terms are defined as follows:
ABUSER
A person who perpetrates a pattern of coercive tactics, which
can include physical, psychological, sexual, economic, and emotional
abuse against an adult intimate partner, with the goal of establishing
and maintaining power and control over the victim.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Abuse by a family or household member, as defined by this
policy pursuant to Section 103 of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act
of 1986 (750 ILCS 60/103). Domestic violence includes sexual assault
or stalking.
EMPLOYEE
A person working for the Village for remuneration for services.
FAMILY OR HOUSEHOLD MEMBER
For employees with a family or household member who is a
victim of domestic or sexual violence, this means a spouse, parent,
son, daughter, other person related by blood or by present or prior
marriage, another person who shares a relationship through a son or
daughter, and persons jointly residing in the same household.
PARENT
The biological parent of an employee or an individual who
stood in loco parentis to an employee when the employee was a son
or daughter as defined herein.
SON OR DAUGHTER
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.