Please review the information below as well as the information on the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity page and then return to the workplace harassment prevention course tab.
Harassment and discrimination based on a protected characteristic are prohibited under both federal and state law. The federal government and most state governments have agencies that help employers and employees understand these legal requirements and ensure compliance with the laws.
Harassment or discrimination based on any protected characteristic set forth below is prohibited under local law in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
race
color
creed
national origin
age
disability
The primary state law prohibiting employment discrimination is US Virgin Islands Code, Title 10.
Sexual harassment is illegal and is prohibited by the U.S. Virgin Islands Civil Rights law. Sexual harassment is defined in 10 V.I.C. § 64a as any unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors or any other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:
Submission to that conduct or those advances or requests is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment; or
Submission to or rejection of the conduct or advances or requests by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting the individual; or
The conduct, advances, or requests have the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.
Sexual harassment can occur in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to the following:
The victim and the harasser may be a woman or a man.
The victim does not have to be of the opposite sex.
The harasser can be the victim’s supervisor, an agent of the employer, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or a non-employee.
The victim does not have to be the person harassed but could be anyone affected by the offensive conduct.
Unlawful sexual harassment may occur without economic injury to or discharge of the victim.
The harasser’s conduct must be unwelcome.
It is helpful for the target to inform the harasser directly that the conduct is unwelcome and must STOP. The targe should use any employer complaint mechanism or grievance system available.
Examples of sexual harassment include the following:
Pressure for sexual activity or sexual favors
Unwelcome touching of a person’s body, hair or clothing
Sexual innuendoes, jokes, or comments
Disparaging remarks to a person about their gender or body
Sexual graffiti or pictures
Asking about a person’s sexual fantasies or sexual activities
Repeatedly asking for a date after the person has expressed disinterest
Making sexual gestures with hands or through body movements
An employment discrimination or harassment complaint may be filed with the United States Attorney’s Office, District of the Virgin Islands, or the EEOC by visiting their respective websites or contacting them via the information below:
United States Attorney’s Office, District of the Virgin Islands
5500 Veterans Drive, Suite 260, St. Thomas, VI 00802-6424
St. Thomas: 340-774-5757 | TTY: 340-714-1791
St. Croix: 340-773-3920 | TTY: 340-713-9615
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
1-800-669-4000 | 1-800-669-6820 (TTY) | 1-844-234-5122 (ASL)
info@eeoc.gov
More information on federal law prohibiting employment discrimination and harassment is available on the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity page.
Employer retaliation against an employee who files a discrimination or harassment complaint or is involved in the complaint process is unlawful.
The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only.
It does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice.