NY law calls for domestic violence training for beauty professionals

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A new state law will have beauty industry professionals on the front lines of domestic violence and sexual assault prevention.

Lawmakers said beauty professionals are in a unique position to identify and support survivors. They will now get specialized training to help victims in dangerous situations by providing them with the right resources to seek help.

The law, however, does not require them to report incidents to police.

“I think the training would be necessary, and you know, knowledge is power in any topic or aspect,” Megan Shapiro, of Brooks & Harlow Salon in Rochester, said. “The reason I came into this business was to make people feel good, but if there’s a way that I can learn more to help somebody with a really serious matter, then I would want serious training.”

According to the latest data from New York State’s Domestic and Sexual Violence Hotline, more than 250,000 calls were received in 2018.