we are hoping so! It’s had great results where we have already used it in Cambodia, results show it has tripled women’s confidence to negotiate safe sex and refuse sex with partners
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I think we need to think about how we can all work together on this. There is an unprecedented amount of attention on the topic, and this is clearly the time to think about these issues.
However we need to pull resources together and collaborate in order to create change at this time.
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Get governments to ratify ILO Convention 190 and implement the provisions on GBV and domestic violence at work, with duties on employers to put in place polices to end sexual harassment and DV@work and support survivors. This means employers have to seriously implement their OSH responsibilities / duty of care for employees affected by GBV.
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For businesses that are mandated closed (such as dental offices), who can be on the front line to identify violence from those effected seeking medical treatment from trauma, how do they play a role in helping victims seek out treatment? Many victims will be afraid now to ask for medical help, especially when the message continues to be only for life threatening, emergency, or essential. Many victims will be fearful to say it is an emergency and essential. How can those who might typically be able to identify these victims continue to help when their clinics are shut down, and they themselves are afraid to treat patients unless it is a critical emergency?
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…and adapt the provision in C.190 to the Covid-19 crisis.
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Do you have a checklist for platforms/sites to check for these issues?
We’re worried that the current COVID crisis could set-back progress towards gender equality significantly and so we must all maintain commitments and action towards gender equality now and in the future to continue to tackle GBV. We know GBV occurs because of unequal power relations and economic vulnerability exacerbates this - these are key areas for sustained action across business, government and civil society.
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Thanks everyone for incredibly valuable insights, data and examples.
If it’s not already happening, is there a ‘collective action’ opportunity for GSMA to work with Vodafone and the other leading mobile operators that are already providing apps (such as Bright Sky), free hotlines and public messaging to tackle GBV, to ask all of its members around the world to implement similar services and support, and to share examples, toolkits, apps etc. to help them do so.
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Technology no doubt opens flood gates in terms of safety and security, but with cautious optimism it can also be a valuable tool when used in the right way. When used responsibly it can be a lifeline to marginalised groups who may not otherwise have access to safe and reliable information and/or support services.
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safety by design check list?
love this Jane! CARE would be interested in this conversation too
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Thank so much for a great discussion. Bye for now.
What are the best ways to do this?
My one final thought (ok a couple of final thoughts) are:
- Gender based violence is as dangerous to many women as the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s going to take all of us, across all our sectors, to keep women safe and ensure there is not a global roll back on women’s rights during lock down. Let’s work together.
- Gender inequality is exacerbated for women who face other forms of discrimation, due to race, class, disability, location, religion etc. We need intersectional approaches. Women in the global south face particular and exacerbated challenges.
- Please listen to the experts - women’s rights organisations and NGOs have been developing programming for many years to prevent and response to violence against women and girls. Reach out to them, and pay them for their expertise
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Thank you for joining everyone, and for the great discussion. Alice will be drawing on the great insights shared here for an Action Toolkit that we will be publishing next week.
Having produced an overarching framework for how businesses can support the most vulnerable in their value chains, communities and beyond (available here), we are now deep-diving into specific topics and issues, including on gender-based violence.
We are pulling together Action Groups with the aim of rapidly co-creating guidance to inform immediate and longer-term decision making and make connections needed to support action.
We invite you to join an Action Group on GBV here: https://snipbfp.org/C19_ActionGroups
In addition to GBV, we are creating Action Groups on how best to support vulnerable workers, micro and small enterprises, and NGO partners, and also on how to promote handwashing and other preventative measures.
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Yes to this Jane, totally agree. Let’s work with the pioneers of responding to GBV.
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yes exactly that’s what I meant for companies to run through to make sure they are doing the right thing
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Great to know about the Action Groups, thanks Zahid.
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Hi Verity, yes agree with you fully. C.190 are R.206 is an excellent framework for what needs to be done, regardless of ratification of R.190. I’m interested in how it could be applied to Covid-19 crisis with confinement. We’re planning a briefing on this as part of DV@Work Covid-19 Briefings.
Fantastic insights everyone thank you so much and please continue to use this thread to keep the conversation going. I’ll be checking it as i pull together the toolkit.
Alice
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