On June 21, 2019, the International Labour Organization (ILO) voted overwhelmingly to adopt a Convention on the Elimination of Violence and Harassment in the World of Work. This represents an important step forward on strengthening protections for all workers around the world against violence and harassment.
On June 21, 2019, the International Labour Organization (ILO) voted overwhelmingly to adopt a Convention on the Elimination of Violence and Harassment in the World of Work. This represents an important step forward on strengthening protections for all workers around the world against violence and harassment.
Business should see the adoption of the Convention as a signal that:
For the first time, there is an internationally agreed-upon standard and guidance for addressing violence and harassment in the world of work, setting a high bar for companies and governments on their responsibilities to manage this critical issue. The treaty includes many categories of workers: corporate employees, workers in factories and farms across global supply chains, informal workers, and job seekers. The Convention also looks beyond the walls of the workplace, recognizing there are risks of abuse throughout the “world of work,” e.g., when commuting to and from work.
While the specific applications to businesses will depend on the country and type of business in question, the overall message is clear: More—much more—is expected from businesses when it comes to tackling violence and harassment. Here’s how companies can take action using BSR’s “Act, Enable, Influence” framework:
Companies can act on this issue by developing programs, policies, services, and products that contribute to ending sexual harassment. A first step for companies is to assess their current efforts on gender-based violence and harassment across their value chains. BSR has developed a tool, in line with the new ILO Convention, to help companies to understand their current gaps in the following three areas:
BSR’s tool helps companies to conduct a thorough analysis of these and other areas and to assess opportunities to improve their practices.
Companies can enable business partners to tackle harassment and violence by collaborating with them to introduce appropriate measures.
Companies can enable business partners to tackle harassment and violence by collaborating with them to introduce appropriate measures. This is especially critical in supply chains for garments, agriculture, and other light manufacturing, which employ large numbers of vulnerable workers. Increasingly, evidence shows that violence and harassment is widespread in these sectors and across sourcing countries, with women workers particularly vulnerable.
With their brand credibility, marketing expertise, reach, and access to key influencers, companies can be uniquely positioned to shift harmful social or gender norms.
Businesses can also use their advocacy efforts and communications strategies to influence the wider community to address harassment and gender-based violence.
BSR members looking to strengthen their policies on violence, harassment, and women’s empowerment should connect with our team. In addition, we will be hosting a webinar in the fall to explore the new ILO Convention in more depth with our partners from Business Fights Poverty and CARE—registration is open here.
This article was previously published on BSR and is reproduced with permission.
Business Fights Poverty is proud to be a Founding UK B Corp.
© 2021 Business Fights Poverty. The Business Fights Poverty logo and tree device are registered trademarks. View Terms and Conditions.
