EEOC LAUNCHES SPANISH-LANGUAGE YOUTH@WORK WEB SITE

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today launched a Spanish-language version of its Youth@Work web site, designed to help young Spanish-speaking workers prevent and respond to discrimination.

"The Youth at Work Spanish web site, launched in time for youth summer employment, will make key information about employment rights and responsibilities more accessible to some of the most vulnerable workers – youth who speak only Spanish or have limited English proficiency," said Commission Chair Cari M. Dominguez.  "Having quick and easy online access to EEOC resources in Spanish will better serve our youth and the public generally as our nation's workplaces become increasingly diverse."  The Spanish site will be particularly useful in Puerto Rico where Dominguez addressed youth at three high schools last December and where EEOC has an office.

The Youth@Work web site was created for and by young people to explain the types of job discrimination that young workers may encounter and to suggest strategies they can use to help prevent such discrimination. If youth -- or anybody else -- understand their job rights and responsibilities, they will be less likely to experience discrimination and better able to respond appropriately if they do.  The Spanish site will feature the same elements as the English version.

The Youth@Work web site is part of EEOC's Youth@Work initiative, a national education and outreach campaign to promote equal employment opportunity for America's next generation of workers.  In addition to its web sites, the Youth@Work Initiative includes free outreach events and partnerships with industry, education, and human resource leaders.

The Youth@Work web sites are http://youth.eeoc.gov/index.html (English) http://youth.eeoc.gov/es/ (Spanish).

In January, EEOC launched the Spanish-language version of its main web site, to enhance service to the Hispanic community, the nation's fastest growing racial or ethnic group.  The main Spanish web site, www.eeoc.gov/es/, is part of the EEOC's broader efforts to more effectively reach out to communities likely to encounter workplace discrimination.

The EEOC enforces the nation's laws in the private and federal sectors prohibiting employment discrimination based on race, color, gender, religion, national origin, age and disability. These statutes include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, sections of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and sections of the Civil Rights Act of 1991.  Further information about the Commission is available online at www.eeoc.gov.