by Curlan Campbell
- Convention adopted in June 2019, came into force on 25 June 2021
- 11 countries ratified convention but none are from the Caribbean
- Caribbean Congress of Labour and Caribbean Employers Federation support eradication of workplace gender-based violence
Through the Spotlight Initiative, the Caribbean Employers’ Confederation and the Caribbean Congress of Labour have embarked on a joint effort to establish and adopt a regional policy for the eradication of gender-based violence (GDV) in the workplace.
At the virtual launch held on Wednesday, President of the Caribbean Congress of Labour Andre Lewis, and President of the Caribbean Employers Federation Wayne Chen, reiterated their support for this initiative in a time when domestic violence shot up exponentially around the world in 2020 and 2021, as a result of the global Covid-19 pandemic.
This increase in gender-based violence was attributed to the fact that many victims of violence were forced to work from their homes, and confined in the same space as their abusers. This situation has led the United Nations to label the exponential increase in gender-based violence as a “shadow pandemic.”
This has prompted the rollout of a EUR 500 million Spotlight Initiative programme, which aims to end all forms of violence against women and girls by 2030. The programme deploys targeted, large-scale investments in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Pacific.
Director of the Sub-Regional Office for the United Nations Population Fund Caribbean, Alison Drayton, was the keynote speaker. Drayton highlighted the need for the establishment of such a policy that should facilitate change in workplace systems and reshape working environments to become places that foster female growth and career development, rather than abuse and violence.
Drayton indicated that such a policy should outline the rights and responsibilities of the workers and the employer that communications related to incidents of violence and harassment will be duly considered and acted upon, and must also include information on complaint and investigation procedures, the right to privacy and measures protecting against victimisation or retaliation. “The project will also support existing efforts in the prevention of gender-based violence and the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace. Participants will be exposed to the concepts, policies and practices for addressing GDV in the workplace as well as in private settings through easy to understand and relatable text and video. We expect this to lead to an increase in the knowledge of young vulnerable and marginalised women and male allies about national policies and sexual and reproductive health rights as well as broaden their understanding of gender equality.”
She emphasised that the application of not addressing these pressing issues can lead to dire consequences for developing states. “The state has to consider the cost of health care for survivors of violence, the cost associated with legal services, policing caring for displaced children and even the cost of incarceration, all of which are substantial, especially for small island developing states.”
“This joint project is expected to serve as a key avenue to deliver prevention and response support while also addressing issues of sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace. The project will support the provision of access to information on sexual and reproductive health in the workplace we expect to see an increase in the number of NGOs that promote access and information on sexual and reproductive health, the baseline will be established from data collected during the first activity of the project,” she continued.
Deputy Director of International Labour Organisation (ILO) in the Caribbean, Lars Johansen, referred to the first international treaty aimed at addressing violence at the workplace which is the Violence and Harassment Convention No. 190 which he hopes can be ratified by regional governments soon.
The Convention adopted in June 2019, by the International Labour Conference of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), came into force on 25 June 2021. Once ratified, it will require governments to put in place the necessary laws and policy measures to prevent and address violence and harassment in the world of work.
“So far only 11 countries in the world have ratified this convention and none of them are from the Caribbean. There is still is a lot of interest from several of our countries but then the pandemic came and shifted the priorities of the governments and also the workers and employers’ organizations in the region,” Johansen said.
Meanwhile, Lewis highlighted that employers and men can play an integral role in reducing gender-based violence in the workplace. He also referred to the glaring inconsistency between legislative commitments, policies and action as major hindrances that must be addressed. “If the trade union movement is to improve operations in the interest of its members then its representation must extend beyond securing decent wages and other traditional benefits. the leadership of the movement must demonstrate by example its commitment to eradicating all forms of violence against women and girls. It is no secret that the leadership of the movement at this time is predominantly male and that is why it is even more important for us as men in leadership to make our opposition clear as allies of the women at our workplaces and by extension the wider society. We as a movement should concern ourselves with the well-being of all workers both unionised and non-unionised.”