New legislation would require beauty workers to undergo domestic violence prevention training
Tennessee and Illinois have joined several states in passing legislation to provide these skills at no cost to the beauty professional.
Source: WSMV4
U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Tammy Duckworth have introduced federal bipartisan legislation aimed at helping domestic violence victims.
The Supporting the Abused by Learning Options to Navigate Survivor (SALONS) Stories Act, which would incentivize domestic violence awareness training for cosmetologists and beauty professionals, was introduced in December.
Tennessee and Illinois have joined several states in passing legislation to give beauty professionals these skills, serving as models for states around the nation. The new legislation, if passed, would provide resources across the country to help cosmetologists spot the warning signs of abuse.
“One in four women will be a victim of domestic violence in her lifetime, and in the United States, three women are killed each day by an intimate partner,” said Senator Blackburn (R-Tennessee) in a media release. “There is no better community to recognize this abuse and help victims than beauty professionals. Some women, even at their most vulnerable and isolated, will continue going to the salon and building relationships with their cosmetologists. This is a common-sense bipartisan bill to help equip cosmetologists with resources necessary to identify and support victims of domestic violence.”
Duckworth, D-Illinois, said victims of domestic violence often do not know who to talk to when they need help. But salons are a safe space. The act would provide grants to states that have in place laws requiring cosmetologists seeking licensing to undergo free and easily accessible domestic violence awareness training.
“Victims of domestic violence often don’t know where to turn or who to talk to, but they do often continue going to their salons —which puts beauty professionals in a unique position of potentially being among the first people who can recognize signs of abuse,” Duckworth said in the release. “I’m proud to join Senator Blackburn on our bipartisan SALONS Stories Act, which builds on Illinois’s 2017 law, to help more beauty professionals access free domestic violence awareness training that can give them the tools and knowledge they need to help victims effectively. How they handle these critical moments could be lifesaving.”
Duckworth, D-Illinois, said victims of domestic violence often do not know who to talk to when they need help. But salons are a safe space. The act would provide grants to states that have in place laws requiring cosmetologists seeking licensing to undergo free and easily accessible domestic violence awareness training.
“Victims of domestic violence often don’t know where to turn or who to talk to, but they do often continue going to their salons —which puts beauty professionals in a unique position of potentially being among the first people who can recognize signs of abuse,” Duckworth said in the release. “I’m proud to join Senator Blackburn on our bipartisan SALONS Stories Act, which builds on Illinois’s 2017 law, to help more beauty professionals access free domestic violence awareness training that can give them the tools and knowledge they need to help victims effectively. How they handle these critical moments could be lifesaving.”
By: Daniel Smithson
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