MONTREAL, Canada, Nov 19 (IPS) – Negar Mohtashami Khojasteh is with the Women’s Rights Department at Human Rights Watch. In Indonesia’s humid heat, I saw dozens of men on motorcycles loitering outside the gates of a garment factory, their children hanging on their shoulders. , they waited for their partners to finish their shifts. These unemployed men picked up the women who supported their families.
In Sukabumi, where the main employer is a garment factory and the workers are mostly women, women are the backbone of the economy. Nonetheless, these women often face violence at work and at home. Their employers can and should do much more to help.
“Almost all married women in our village face domestic violence,” one garment worker confessed. Another said domestic violence was an open secret in her village and a harsh reality for being a married woman and breadwinner.
Human Rights Watch has documented horrific human rights violations suffered by women working in garment factories across Asia. In Asian countries, low wages, harsh working hours, unsafe working conditions, verbal abuse and harassment are rampant, and workplace sexual harassment of female workers is all too common. .
But when these women return home, many face another form of abuse. Domestic violence is partly caused by anger at the way people are perceived to have subverted gender roles by becoming breadwinners.
This pattern is not limited to Indonesia or female garment workers. In Bangladesh, research has shown a correlation between working women and experiencing domestic violence. This is especially true for women who married young or have low levels of education.
studwhy In several countries in Africa, women’s employment was found to be “positively associated with the likelihood of being abused” at home. A new Australian study found that women who earn more than their male partners are 33 per cent more likely to experience domestic violence.
Financial independence can be a protective factor against domestic violence, but in societies where patriarchal attitudes dominate, female heads of households disrupt traditional household power dynamics and may face backlash from their husbands as men use violence to reassert control. there is.
This violence can take the form of controlling women’s income, physical beatings and sexual violence, and psychological and verbal abuse.
The fight to end domestic violence must include efforts to change societal understandings of gender roles, and employers have a key role to play in these efforts, and increasingly have an obligation to do so.
As the #MeToo movement grows after years of campaigning by activists and the labor movement, the International Labor Organization adopted a new Convention on Violence and Harassment (C190) in 2019, which includes requirements for employers to mitigate the harms of domestic violence. I did it. . Although Indonesia and Bangladesh have not yet ratified it, 45 countries have already done so, and the number is growing steadily.
Employers, especially in industries where women account for a large number of jobs, must recognize their important role in supporting workers experiencing domestic violence as they implement internal policies to eliminate gender-based violence and harassment in the workplace.
This is not a separate issue, and the impact of domestic violence is not limited to the home. Domestic violence impacts employees’ wellbeing and affects their health, safety and long-term performance at work. In some cases, you just follow it literally and it works.
During my investigation, I interviewed witnesses who said they saw a woman being physically assaulted by her husband just outside the garment factory before she started her shift. By recognizing this connection, employers can take meaningful steps to protect their employees from all forms of violence and create safer environments for women both inside and outside of the workplace.
Researchers have documented the link between women’s bargaining power and safety in the home. Employers can play an important role in helping women protect themselves by providing a supportive workplace environment that provides concrete support.
The measures outlined in Recommendation 206 of the International Labor Organization’s Violence and Harassment Convention, including flexible working arrangements, paid leave for survivors of domestic violence and temporary protection against dismissal, serve as an important lifeline to give women the option to escape abusive situations. You can do it. In this way, employers not only increase women’s bargaining power, but also actively contribute to their path away from violence.
Contrary to some views, domestic violence is not a private matter. Under the ILO Convention, employers have a responsibility to help. This is a very important duty. How an employer responds to a situation where one of its workers is experiencing domestic violence can have life or death consequences.
© Interpress Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Interpress Service
