Around the world, IUF affiliates are mobilizing for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic in several countries.
- in Asia/Pacific, women trade union leaders from 9 countries gathered for a regional forum on the elimination of violence against women on November 24 with online trainings in three additional countries
- in Africa, a large majority of IUF Women’s Committees are organizing training on ILO Convention 190 and Recommendation 206, a key instrument to combat violence and harassment at work
- across Latin America, the IUF Regional Women’s Committee members are organizing 16 days of action with posters, leaflets and even downloadable masks @www.rel-uita.org
- in the Middle East, the IUF affiliates National Union of Salaried Employees-HISTADRUT and Union of Food and Pharmaceutical Workers-HISTADRUT are launching a campaign against domestic violence that explains how coercive control functions and helps affiliates to better identify and combat it:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UEy9gjpLr0&feature=youtu.be
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDcV5mX9AQo&feature=youtu.be
See the IUF’s recently published guide which explains why domestic violence is an issue for unions and workplaces and why it is urgent to act
- in Europe, we are also making progress in the fight against gender-based violence: IUF affiliate HRF in Sweden and the hospitality employers’ association have just signed a national CBA in which they commit to develop strong measures to tackle sexual harassment from third parties, filling a gap in national legislation and echoing provisions of C190
For Assétou Espérance Traoré, Vice President of the IUF Women’s Committee, this day is important for everyone: “Violence against women should no longer be noted as an observation or heard as a news item. Let us no longer remain silent in the face of such violence throughout the world. Women must be the lever of their deliverance. In conclusion, I would like to quote Thomas Sankara: ‘Revolution and women’s liberation go hand in hand; we do not speak of women’s emancipation as a charitable or compassionate act, it is a fundamental necessity for the revolution to triumph’.”
