What is sexual harassment?
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has defined sexual harassment in its guidelines as “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:
Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of employment, or
Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as a basis for employment decisions affecting the individual, or
Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.
What is sexual assault?
Sexual assault is a CRIME. Sexual assault is any involuntary sexual act in which a person is threatened, coerced, or forced to engage against their will. If you feel that you were a victim of sexual assault, we urge you to file a police report.
What is trafficking?
Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. It can happen in any community and victims can be any age, race, gender, or nationality. Traffickers might use violence, manipulation, or false promises of well-paying jobs or romantic relationships to lure victims into trafficking situations. Language barriers, fear of their traffickers, and/or fear of law enforcement frequently keep victims from seeking help, making human trafficking a hidden crime.
How can the Model Alliance help?
Model Alliance Support
Model Alliance Support is our discreet grievance reporting and advice service. We encourage any model who feels they have been the subject of unwanted sexual attention or abuse at work to contact us at MA Support. The information that you provide us will remain completely confidential, unless you are a minor and we have a legal duty to report on your behalf or you inform us explicitly that you want to report an incident to law enforcement. We will invite you to fill out a short intake form, which we will use to better understand your issue and keep records of problems so that we can track whether they are affecting others. The Model Alliance does not provide legal services or legal advice, but we can provide referrals to attorneys if requested.
Who else can I contact for help?
Emergency Contact
If you are dealing with an emergency, please call 911.
New York Police Department
Contact the NYPD’s Sex Crimes Hotline at 212-335-9373 and visit their site at http://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/about/about-nypd/contact-us.page.
Rape, Abuse & Incest Crisis Network
RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network) is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence network. They created and operate the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE. This nationwide partnership provides victims of sexual violence with free, confidential services around the clock. They also expanded their services with the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline (http://online.rainn.org/), the nation’s first secure web-based hotline that provides live and completely confidential help to victims through an interface as intuitive as instant messaging. You can visit their website at https://www.rainn.org/.
Safe Horizon
SafeHorizon’s mission is to provide support, prevent violence, and promote justice for victims of crime and abuse. You can contact their 24-hour Rape, Sexual Assault & Incest Hotline (New York City) at 212-227-3000 and visit their website at https://www.safehorizon.org/get-help/rape-and-sexual-assault/.
Polaris
The National Human Trafficking Hotline is a national, toll-free hotline, available to answer calls, texts, and live chats from anywhere in the United States, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in more than 200 languages. You can call 1-888-373-7888 or text BeFree (233733). The National Hotline is operated by Polaris, a non-profit, non-governmental organization that is a leader in the global fight to eradicate modern slavery and restore freedom to survivors of human trafficking.