When the #MeToo movement erupted in 2017, it exposed sexual harassment across industries that had long been protected by their power. While early attention focused on the entertainment sector and corporate workplaces, the reckoning quickly spread to the federal government.
Within weeks, more than 200 women working in national security signed an open letter under the hashtag #MeTooNatSec, stating they had experienced sexual harassment or assault or knew colleagues who had. Many of those accounts pointed directly to the U.S. State Department.
The stories revealed a troubling pattern: misconduct by senior officials, inconsistent disciplinary outcomes, and reporting systems that survivors said felt opaque and unsafe.
Out of that moment emerged the State Harassment and Assault Prevention and Eradication Act, known as the SHAPE Act.
The bill was first introduced in the 116th Congress as H.R. 8465, following a major lobbying push by the advocacy nonprofit Inclusive America. The legislation sought to establish uniform, enforceable standards for preventing harassment within the State Department, addressing gaps in survivor support. It also aimed to curb retaliation and require greater transparency in how misconduct cases are handled. Despite its early momentum, it stalled amid broader legislative gridlock.
The conditions that inspired it, advocates say, never changed.
“The #MeToo movement gave people a voice,” said Mark Hanis, co-founder of Inclusive America, which is leading the bill’s current push. “Now, we are working to respond with policy changes.”
The SHAPE Act has since lost traction in the House, although Inclusive America and other supporters have continued to advocate for its reintroduction. Still, its goal is to fundamentally change how the State Department prevents and responds to harassment, discrimination, sexual assault, and retaliation.
At the center of the bill is a mandate requiring the Secretary of State to implement a comprehensive department-wide policy. That policy would cover prevention, training, reporting, investigations, victim support, and data collection.
One of the bill’s most significant provisions establishes an Office of Employee Advocacy, an independent resource designed to help employees navigate the reporting process.
That office would offer confidential guidance, optional legal representation, and access to a 24-hour hotline available worldwide; all of which are critical for a workforce often stationed abroad.
“For too long, survivors have been expected to figure everything out on their own,” Hanis said. “This office is about making sure that support is built into the system, [rather than] treated as an afterthought.”
Rachel Ledoux is a student at Simmons University studying political science and economics with a focus on public policy.
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