Ahead of International Women’s Day, stand up against gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work!

Eradicating violence against women and girls is at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the resolve of world leaders “to achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value” (Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8, target 8.5.) and “to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” (SDG 5) by 2030 are proof of that.

Yet, despite global commitments, gender-based violence in the world of work often remains invisible, and it is one of the most tolerated violations of workers’ human rights.  Whilst violence and harassment at work concern both men and women, the existing unequal power relations in our societies make women more exposed to violence and harassment. At European level:

• Between 40 to 50% of women in the European Union have experienced unwanted sexual advances, physical contact or other forms of sexual harassment in the workplace;
• More than 61% of women employed in the services sector in the European Union have been subjected to sexual harassment.

At the international level, there is still no law that sets a baseline for taking action to eradicate violence and harassment, including gender-based violence and harassment, in the world of work. Against this background, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is working towards such a law, due to be adopted at the forthcoming International Labour Conference in June 2019.

Ahead of International Women’s Day, SOLIDAR wishes to reaffirm its support for the ITUC campaign for an ILO Convention to stop gender-based violence at work: a binding instrument that would ensure that violence is not part of the job.