35 percent of women in the world have experienced physical and / or sexual violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence from another person at some point in their lives (UN Women).
Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1999, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is commemorated on November 25 of each year.
An opportunity for governments, international organizations, NGOs and workers’ organizations to organize awareness-raising activities for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.
For far too long, impunity, silence, and shame have made this human rights violation a persistent global scourge. However, over the last few years, actions for change have gained ground, mainly thanks to the determination of activists and advocacy organizations that express themselves through movements such as: #MeToo, #TimesUp, #HearMeToo, #NotOneMore, #BalanceTonPorc etc whose names and contexts sometimes vary by region or economic and social contexts.
The unions have put the issue of violence and harassment, particularly in the world of work, on the agenda of the International Labor Organization (ILO). The discussions resulted in draft conclusions in the form of a draft convention and a draft recommendation on "Ending violence and harassment in the world of work" for adoption next year.
Workers around the world are being called upon to actively campaign and engage in advocacy work with government and employers for the adoption in 2019 of this new standard-setting instrument with a strong focus on the gender dimension of violence. Trade unions are also called upon to mobilize and strengthen their efforts to eradicate gender-based violence in the world of work.
