A/HRC/29/3
E/CN.6/2015/6
Integrating the private sector into prevention efforts
39. Globally, 53 per cent of women are employed in vulnerable jobs — either
informal or unpaid — which can increase the risk of experiencing violence. This
problem is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where more than
80 per cent of women are in this type of employment. 8 In addition, 79 countries still
have laws that restrict the types of jobs women can perform. 9 A recent publication
commissioned by the World Bank asserts that the private sector has been
insufficiently involved in efforts to prevent and address violence against women. In
order for this situation to change, workplaces need to adopt anti -harassment codes
and guidelines to make the workplace a safe space for women and establish
alliances with women’s rights organizations. 10
40. The Trust Fund invests in programmes that address these challenges and that
aim to fully integrate the private sector as a key stakeholder in ending violence
against women.
41. Trust Fund grantee CARE International in Cambodia helped to create safe
workplaces and communities. Building on a successful initiative previously
supported by the Trust Fund, the project is working to scale up effective
participatory community and workplace interventions in the garment, tourism and
hospitality industries to promote safer workplaces. The project continued to work
with police, for example, building on its collaboration with the Ministry of the
Interior and training police focal points. It focused on initial engagement methods
with garment factory workers to create effective policies within factories to reduce
sexual harassment and gender-based violence and to ensure that workers can report
abuse if it does occur. A curriculum for garment factory workers was developed for
specific workplaces by adapting the International Labour Organization publication
entitled Equality and non-discrimination at work in Cambodia: Manual. This was
piloted with 71 garment factory workers and 87 hospitality workers. The Garment
Manufacturers Association in Cambodia agreed to support CARE’s efforts to end
harassment at the workplace.
42. Trust Fund grantee the Fair Wear Foundation adopted a holistic appro ach,
including awareness-raising and training, to address harassment and violence
against women in export-orientated garment factories in Bangladesh and India. Over
3,500 workers in India and Bangladesh received direct training in 24 factories,
while another 15,000 workers were trained via peer-to-peer education as part of the
preventing workplace violence project. Twenty anti-harassment committees,
composed of workers’ representatives, factory management and non-governmental
organization representatives, were operational in Bangladesh and India in 2014. The
programme also completed supervisors’ training in at least six factories, reaching
121 participants. Advanced training for anti-harassment committee members was
conducted at nine factories reaching nearly 100 people — 82 women and 17 men.
43. One of the project’s major achievements was the higher level of reporting of
harassment cases in the anti-harassment committees and via a telephone helpline.
__________________
8
9
10
10/13
UN-Women, Progress of the World’s Women 2011-2012: In Pursuit of Justice (New York, 2011).
World Bank, Women, Business and the Law 2014: Removing Restrictions to Enhance Gender
Equality — Key Findings (London: Bloomsbury, 2014).
Jennifer L. Solotaroff and Rohini Prabha Pande, Violence against Women and Girls: Lessons
from South Asia (Washington, D.C., World Bank, 2014).
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