News

Domestic violence is increasingly recognized as an issue that impacts not only individuals and families, but communities and society as a whole. Mounting evidence indicates that the impacts of domestic violence on workers and workplaces, including its economic costs, are a significant and growing problem.

Internationally, the evidence linking economic independence, being in paid employment and domestic violence has been steadily developing. Victims of domestic violence have a more disrupted work history, which means that they have lower personal incomes, have had to change jobs more often, and more often end working in casual and part time roles. But experiences also show that being employed is a key pathway to leaving a violent relationship. The financial security that employment affords can allow victims of domestic violence to escape the isolation of an abusive relationship, and maintain, as far as possible, their home and standard of living, both for themselves, and their children.

In regards to the direct impact domestic violence has on the workplace, a recent study found that 53% of the victims felt their job performance was negatively impacted and 75% had hard time concentrating on their work. These behaviours lead to a loss of paid and unpaid work time, a decrease in productivity, as well as safety hazards for their co-workers.

For these reasons, UNI Equal Opportunities partnered with the project DV@worknet in 2014 to help raise awareness on this issue and on November 8th, 2015, it held a meeting with representatives of the DV@worknet project and women participating at the UNI World Women’s Committee Meeting.

During the meeting the parties discussed strategies on how to further complement the existing evidence data base with surveys to be carried out at sectorial, regional, union and country level; as well as the work unions can carry out to better protect affiliates who are suffering from domestic violence. Finally, participants agreed on the need to lobby and pressure countries at the ILO Governing Body, to adopt an ILO Convention against domestic violence.