Ending violence and harassment at work

Wednesday 25 November, the world celebrated the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women which marked the beginning of The 16 Days of Activism campaign against Gender-Based Violence. The annual international campaign will run for 16 Days until 10 December, the Human Rights Day. It was started by activists at the inaugural Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991. It is used as an organising strategy by individuals and organisations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. In support of this civil society initiative, CARE calls for global universal actions to increase awareness, galvanize advocacy efforts, and share knowledge and innovations.

Workplace violence and harassment is widespread around the world; no country and no industry is exempt. The World Bank’s report “Women, Business and the Law 2018” found that 59 out of 189 economies had no specific legal provisions covering sexual harassment in employment. The recent # Me Too movement and the # Time’s Up initiative too have elevated the awareness of the prevalence of sexual harassment in the workplace and inspired many organizations and business leaders to recognize gender-based violence and sexual harassment as critical business issues. Poor and marginalised women are often engaged in precarious jobs where they are particularly exposed to abuse and exploitation with little access to protection, and where they depend on their pay to survive and support their families.