The president of the Navajo Nation has signed an order mandating sexual harassment training for all executive and judicial employees. As Arizona Public Radio’s Ryan Heinsius reports, it comes after a Navajo Council delegate claims she was harassed by other elected officials.
President Russell Begaye’s office says the order was directly inspired by allegations made by Delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty. It requires the executive and judicial branches to review Navajo Nation policies, and for managers to quickly address alleged cases of harassment.
Crotty recently spoke at a council meeting about crude comments made to her by a colleague. She said she’d also been groped while working as a legislative assistant.
“This kind of vulgar personal attack – that affects you to the core of who you are as an individual. No one is above the law and no one should feel that they where they are working is an unsafe environment,” Crotty says.
Crotty is the chairwoman of the council’s Sexual Assault Prevention Committee. She’s working with the speaker’s office to develop harassment training for lawmakers and staff. Crotty says the program should be in place by the end of September.
According to the U.S. Justice Department, American Indians are two-and-a-half times more likely to suffer sexual assault than non-Natives.
