Browse by Theme: Dignified Work

#MeToo began with the bravery of individual women not willing to be silenced about their experiences of sexual harassment and abuse. Their voices have become a global movement exposing the systemic nature of sexism and male entitlement in all industries and countries. And, with #AidToo, #LabourToo and #MosqueMeToo, the movement has shown that no section of work or society is immune.

As we launch into 2018 it is worth reflecting that 2017 has not only seen some political upheavals in the UK and the US but also some fundamental social shifts. Whilst the revelations of sexual harassment and abuse of power from Hollywood to almost every workplace were not a surprise to some, they certainly got people talking about what is acceptable and gave people the confidence to come forward and share their #metoo experiences. So 2018 has to be the year we reinforce this cultural shift and secure some concrete changes in policy and practice when it comes to achieving gender justice at home and abroad.

The Harvey Weinstein case has caused an enormous outburst of anger and concern on the issue of sexual harassment, particularly in the world of work. While piecemeal suggestions have emerged as to how to improve the protection of women (and men), little public attention has yet been paid on a major global initiative to address this very problem – the potential ILO Convention on Ending violence and harassment against women and men in the world of work.

Saturday 7 October is World Day for Decent Work, an annual event sponsored by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) to bring global attention to issues faced by workers. This year, the ITUC’s focus is on Corporate Greed, but CARE is maintaining its focus on tackling violence and harassment in the workplace. While we agree with the ITUC’s demand for decent wages this World Day for Decent Work, we believe that pushing for greater regulation of workplace violence is a key enabler for women to achieve all the elements of the Decent Work agenda, such as on wages.

CARE was delighted to host yesterday’s event to a full house of business leaders, global experts, and civil society actors to talk about how the private sector can empower women in the economy, including by implementing the UN High Level Panel (HLP) on Women’s Economic Empowerment’s new recommendations.

Across the world, women make a significant contribution to agricultural supply chains, in spite of complex hurdles that limit their inclusion and their leadership. The UN High Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment (HLP) identified seven key drivers for women’s economic empowerment (WEE), and the HLP called on governments, private sector companies and civil society organisations to step up their work on WEE by increasing investment, finding new types of partnerships and expanding their actions to more of the ‘drivers’.

What does women’s economic empowerment mean to you?

To me, women’s economic empowerment is a fresh and insightful new approach to uplifting the status of women in all walks of life.