THE COVID-19
SHADOW PANDEMICDOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN THE WORLD OF WORKA Call to action for the private sector

MAY 2020

1. INTRODUCTION
The unprecedented increase in domestic violence since
the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic1 marks an urgent
call for action for the private sector to leverage their
existing resources and influence to keep women safe
at home and safe at work. Employers have a ‘duty of care’to their employees working remotely from home andare in a good position to support those who may beaffected by domestic violence. Many employers recognize their role and have been doing their part prior toand during COVID-19, and the importance of creatinga safe and supportive working environment for survivorsof domestic violence. An important element of this, reflected in the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs)
framework, is the broader promotion of gender equality
and women’s empowerment in the world of work.

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Across the world, one in three women experience physical or sexual violence during their lifetimes.2 In Europe,
as many as 43 per cent of women have experienced psychological abuse, and 22 per cent of women have experienced physical or sexual abuse, from intimate partner.3
Domestic violence and abuse is often invisible, but may
be experienced in the lives of your employees. If you
wait for something to happen, you have waited too long.
Being proactive and taking a role in prevention can makeall the difference.
Domestic violence has significant costs for the economy
and for employers.4 The global cost of violence against
women was $1.5 trillion in 2016.5 In the European Union(EU), the cost of domestic violence against women to theeconomy is estimated at €228 billion a year.6

1Domestic violence can have devastating physical, economic and psychological consequences for survivors,
while control and abuse can make it difficult to sustain
meaningful employment. Domestic violence is a major
barrier to women’s participation in work, educationand training, and for women to progress in their careers.
Domestic violence survivors report that their abusive
partners often disrupted their work, preventing themfrom seeking work, causing them to leave their job, or
losing out on career and/or promotional opportunities
because of the abuse.7

had experienced domestic violence said that it affected
their work because of lateness, absenteeism or productivity/performance.9
International norms and standards affirm that domestic
violence is a fundamental issue of human rights.10 The
role of the private sector in preventing domestic violence is spelt out in the Council of Europe Convention
on preventing and combating violence against womenand domestic violence (Istanbul Convention).11 ILO Convention No. 190 and accompanying Recommendation
No. 20612 on eliminating violence and harassment in theworld of work recognize the role of employers, amongst
other stakeholders, to recognize, respond to and address the impacts of domestic violence in the world ofwork. The laws of some countries, such as Spain and New
Zealand, provide protection of employment, workplace
supports and paid leave exist for survivors of domestic
violence.13

Domestic violence negatively affects the bottom line ofcompanies, 8 with costs associated with higher rates ofabsenteeism, staff turnover and presenteeism/reduced
productivity, and the potential for reputational damage.
For example, company surveys carried out by Vodafone
and the French-based ‘OneInThreeWomen’ corporate
network show that up to one-half of employees who

2. IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 ON DOMESTICVIOLENCE AND THE WORKPLACE
Domestic violence is about power and control, it deprives survivors of their agency and confidence, often
making it difficult to report it. Being confined and isolated during a lockdown, along with added stresses,
tension and financial insecurity, may exacerbate existing abuse and control or it may occur for the first time.
Working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic has
made reporting and seeking help even harder, particularly if a survivor is unable to leave the house to go towork or carry out other routine tasks. Simply making acall privately may be impossible. There are added risks
of not being able to leave the home and having theprotection of the workplace, where a survivor may havebeen able to talk to colleagues or a manager and accessinformation, services and support confidentially during
working hours.

working remotely are experiencing domestic violence.
In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic adds greater healthand safety risks for an employee working from homeduring a lockdown.
These are relevant issues for the immediate future as
lockdowns are lifted and in the longer-term where remote working is likely to be a more common feature of
the future world of work.
Keeping women safely in their employment, including
when working remotely, with the possibility of financial
independence, is critical to enabling women to survive
domestic violence. A starting point for many companies
has been to draw up workplace policies with supportand safety measures.
The below suggestions are drawn from existing company guidance and resources14 on how to provide safe
and confidential support to survivors of domestic violence during remote working.

Given what we know about the heightened risks of domestic violence and the increasing reported numbersof survivors seeking help during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is likely that substantial numbers of women who are

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Employees’ work is more easily disrupted during confinement: it easier for an abuser
to control all aspects of a survivor’s movements, including their work, for example,
by destroying work resources, or control access to a telephone or computer for
online meetings.

Tactics of control by an abuser include frequent interruptions of work, refusal tocarry out child care, surveillance and physical violence, or preventing an employee
from completing work tasks.

It is harder to make a call to a friend or work colleague, or to contact a help line or totalk to a manager about accessing workplace supports.

Health and safety is affected if a survivor is denied safety measures such as access tosoap or hand sanitizers, or if she is prevented from shopping to the supermarket or
pharmacy where it might be possible to alert someone for help (for example, as exists
in France, Spain and the UK).

It is harder for managers to recognize the signs of domestic violence, particularly as
appearing stressed or not responding to calls may be related to childcare or otherproblems during the lockdown.

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COMMUNICATE• Communicate regularly with all employees and team members, stay in touch and build trust.
• Encourage survivors to seek help, stressing that this will be without recrimination fromtheir manager or the company.
• Keep contact up through regular company-wide and one-to-one communications, andfind safe ways for a survivor to contact a manager or domestic violence support service.
• Give reassurance and support a survivor in her own safety planning.

SPOT THE SIGNS• Be attentive to potential signs of domestic violence, for example, if someone is being
distant, withdrawn and does not fully participating in calls or online meetings; if they are
tired, worried, distracted or anxious; or if they are called away or interrupted by a partner
when on the phone or in an online meeting.

ADAPT WORKPLACE SUPPORTS TO THE NEW REALITY• Adapt existing workplace support and safety measures that may already be provided fora survivor to remote working. For example, introduce a safety code or hand signal as away to trigger emergency help.
• Offer workplace supports such as paid leave if the survivor is finding it difficult to complete
work tasks or if she needs to access essential services.
• Divert telephone calls or emails if there is abuse by phone, text or email from a current or
ex-partner, and find safe and confidential ways to communicate with the manager andteam members.
• Ensure that work equipment, such as a phone or computer, are provided to a survivor, alongwith emergency financial assistance, if she is forced to leave home in an emergency.
• If the abuse is perpetrated by an ex-partner living separately, offer advice about a protection/restraining order and about contacting the police if the order has been breached.

PROVIDE INFORMATION AND REFERRALS TO SPECIALIST SERVICES• Provide up-to-date information about and referrals to online, telephone or other support
from specialist domestic violence organizations.
• Ensure that survivors have access to emergency contact numbers and that they are safely
stored on a mobile phone.
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3. HOW ARE COMPANIES RESPONDING
DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS
Some companies have been proactive in reacting to theheightened risk of domestic violence, aware that duringconfinement tensions may increase and abusers will
have a greater chance of exercising control and causing
physical, sexual or psychological harm. Challenges arise
because communications with employees can only takeplace via online meetings or via the telephone.

health and wellbeing of women workers, children livingon the estate, and smallholder farmers.
Georgian WEPs signatory companies, such as the television channel Mtavari, an audit company and a microfinance institution, are raising awareness about available
support services, and providing free training and otherassistance to survivors or domestic violence.

Some companies give support to help managers to recognize the problem and make it possible for colleagues
to speak about problems they may be facing at home,including how they can respond in effective and non-judgmental ways, and how they can address risks, find safe
ways to communicate and give support to a colleague.
Additional support is provided through up-to-date information about domestic violence or other specialist
services that are designated as ‘essential services’, giving
survivors access to information, safety planning and support, counselling, legal support or long-term safe housing.

In North America, the mining company Rio Tinto18 has
issued safety guidance for employees working at homeduring the lockdown. Based on its existing Family andDomestic Violence Guidance, it encourages employees
to speak to a manager, HR representative or colleague.
Support is available through a dedicated email that ismonitored by the health and safety team and which can
trigger two levels of support via safe words that enable
a manager to ‘check in with me’ or ‘to be referred to professional help’. An employee who needs the safety of
the workplace as respite from abuse or to discuss workplace supports with a manager can be designated as an‘essential office worker’ and attend a safe office location(if applicable) operated in accordance with COVID-19
safety protocols, and/or offered emergency accommodation in accordance with Rio Tinto’s policy.

Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) signatory
Vodafone has adapted its Global Policy and Toolkit on
domestic violence and abuse to the new reality for employees working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.15 The key priority is to ensure that employees
can work safely from home. Based on the recognize,
respond and refer model the Global Policy and updated
guidance provide a comprehensive range of workplace
supports, including 10 days paid safe leave and security
measures that are adapted to remote working fromhome. This is supported by two podcasts for managers
which aim to raise awareness about the heightened risksof domestic violence during confinement and beyond.
Vodafone Foundation has also developed the Bright Sky
app and other help-line resources to give support andinformation to survivors of domestic violence and abusein many of its markets across the world.16

Some companies have created networks and campaigns
using social media and other tech supports to raiseawareness about domestic violence during the COVID-19
pandemic and to provide much-needed resources.
One way to do this has been to initiate awareness raising
campaigns about domestic violence and how to accessspecialist services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Long
-time signatory of the WEPs, Kering, operating in France,
Italy, UK and USA, has an awareness campaign entitled#YouAreNotAlone. This give information and tailoredonline resources for women survivors of domestic violence and signposts them to specialist organizations thatcan provide support during the COVID-19 pandemic.19
It has also responded to the expressed needs of its partners by distributing emergency funds to organizations
that support victims of domestic violence.

Unilever, another active WEPs signatory, has built acomprehensive global framework to preventing andresponding to intimate partner violence and sexual
harassment17 taking place on and off its tea estates inAfrica and South Asia. Developed in collaboration with
UN Women and in consultation with the government,
producers from different commodity sectors and women’s rights groups, the interventions focus on the safety,

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A further example of business collaboration is BusinessFights Poverty, a European-based network of multinational companies, which has developed a range of business actions to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of these is an Action Toolkit22 to addresses the challenges of domestic violence and online bullying and harassment. It gives practical suggestions for companies
and encourages them to harness their core businessstrategies including marketing, innovation and philanthropy to respond to the increased levels of domestic
violence. Supported by Avon in this initiative, a series of
online discussions and private webinars have been heldwith companies in a variety of sectors across the world.

Collaboration and networking between companies canbring critical resources and expertise to bear, adding
leverage, avoiding duplication and ensuring that resources reach support organizations. ‘OneInThreeWomen’, a European network of companies committed tocombating violence against women based in France,20
has launched an information and awareness-raising
campaign to raise funds for the domestic violence organization Fédération Nationale Solidarité Femmes to ensure sufficient resources at the local level to support
survivors during and after the lifting of the lockdown.
Avon,21 along with Natura & Co sister brands, participates in a campaign #IsolatedNotAlone, and is a further
example of companies collaborating to support domestic violence survivors during COVID-19, with funding forfront-line services and signposting survivors to support
services in partnership with national and international organizations.

These networks and campaigns can be of crucial importance in raising awareness amongst companies, particularly those that are at an early stage in developing
policies and responses to ensure the safety of employees
during the COVID-19 pandemic.

WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT PRINCIPLESHigh-level corporate
leadership

Education and training
for women

Workplace HR

Community
engagement

Supplier diversity& marketing practices

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Employee well-being
and safety

6

Measurement andreportingAN EXAMPLE OF A GOOD PRACTICE WORKPLACE POLICY ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
The policy is evidence-based and comprehensive, survivor/victim centred and includes:• Prevention activities aim to promote a workplace culture of trust that makes it possible
for survivors and colleagues to speak about domestic violence.
• Domestic violence workplace risk assessment and safety planning, as an integral partof occupational safety and health.
• Workplace supports, such as paid leave (10 days is currently the norm) to seek protection, attend court or police appointments, attend counselling or other specialized services, flexible working, reorganization of work tasks and work location, amongst others.
• Safety planning and implementation of security measures in
the world of work, including when working from home.
• Financial support/advanced payment of salaries
or loans if there has been financial abuse.
• Training and awareness raising to createa culture of confidentiality and trust.
• A network of trained workplace a
dvocates/champions who provide
confidential advice andinformation for survivors.
• Regular training for
managers in providing
non-judgmental
listening, workplace
supports and referrals.

4. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COMPANIES
Principle 3 of the Women’s Empowerment Principles23 addresses the health, safety and well-being of all employees,
and highlights the responsibility of employers to support victims of violence and to provide a workplace that is
free from violence and harassment.
In summary, early intervention is essential to enable a survivor to stay in her job and to live independently. This
includes carrying out prevention, risk assessments and safety planning in the workplace; offering information andworkplace support to survivors of domestic violence; ensuring that managers recognize the signs of violence against
women and provide workplace supports such as paid leave and security measures; creating a workplace culture
where survivors can disclose domestic violence and stay safely in their jobs; and engaging in wider corporateawareness raising, funding and influence to ensure services meet the needs of survivors of domestic violence.

IMMEDIATE MEASURES: LEADERSHIP•

Ensure that company strategies for remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic include effective
responses to the risks of heightened levels of domestic violence.

•

Send out regular clear messages from the CEO and other leaders about the company’s commitment
to supporting employees affected by domestic violence, confidentially and without recrimination.

•

Engage in social dialogue with workers and trade unions, and seek expert help from domestic violence
specialists, to ensure appropriate workplace responses in supporting survivors.

•

Involve women and support women’s leadership and decision-making.

•

Provide practical guidance, resources and training through online webinars and discussion, to equipmanagers with the skills and capacity to recognize and respond with support for an employee affectedby domestic violence. Ensure that this is prioritized in all communications with managers and ensurethat managers are supported and guided in these roles.

•

Encourage everyone to take a stand against domestic violence, including employees at all levels, theirfamily and friends to act as active bystanders who report their concerns if someone is in danger.

IMMEDIATE MEASURES: LEVERAGE COMPANY RESOURCES AND INFLUENCE•

Engage in public awareness campaigns about the risks of domestic violence during the pandemic andhow a survivor can contact a helpline or emergency help.

•

Increase availability and access to tech supports through online platforms for information andsafety planning.

•

Fund specialist domestic violence support services for women and children, including legal support,
safety planning, counselling, and as a last resort safe housing. These support services could be provided
as a part of business to business partnerships.

•

Establish emergency measures to ensure the safety and security of women and their children in theirown homes, recognizing that removal of a perpetrator may be the least disruptive way to guarantee
women’s safety and continued employment.

•

Support national, regional and local authorities to designate domestic violence services as essential
services so that domestic violence survivors can access services and safe housing, during a lockdown,
including essential sexual and reproductive health services.

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MEDIUM TO LONG-TERM MEASURES: CREATE A FUTURE WHERE WOMEN ARE SAFE AT HOME AND SAFE AT WORKThe COVID-19 pandemic is an opportunity to rethink how the private sector can work together with other stakeholders
to end domestic violence. With the ending of lockdowns as women return to work, it is likely that there will be afurther increase in requests for workplace support to help survivors of domestic violence. Therefore, companies
need to be prepared for scaling-up their efforts in the medium and longer-term.
The private sector can be at the forefront of innovation, dialogue and collaboration with governments, workers
organizations, service providers and non-governmental organizations. In the longer term the private sector is wellplaced to provide a transformative role to:•Develop an inclusive, comprehensive corporate strategy to shift company culture so that the workplace
is a place of trust, support and protection, fo r example, by fostering a culture of zero tolerance of all
forms of violence and harassment. Promote it through a whole-of-organization approach to genderequality and women’s leadership.

•

Commit at the highest levels to provide safety and support for survivors of domestic violence, whether
it takes place inside or outside of the workplace.

•

Implement a policy that addresses domestic violence impacts on the workplace, built on a foundationof trust. This could be a stand-alone policy on domestic violence or it could be integrated into a policyon all forms of violence and harassment in the world of work, including sexual harassment.

•

Hold perpetrators who are employees accountable, with sanctions, including the possibility of dismissal,
if domestic violence is perpetrated during work time, when workplace resources such as a work telephone or computer are used during or outside of work time, or where safety is compromised in theworkplace. Ensure that prevention is built into accountability measures, e.g. through referral to perpetrator treatment and counselling programmes.

•

Implement effective collaboration and coordination to shift perceptions about domestic violence andengage in transformative approaches to gender equality at work, ending a culture of victim blaming,
silence and shame around domestic violence.

•

Shift policy priorities, such as that women and their children can stay safely in their homes and continue
to work safely, while being supported by survivor-centred services.

•

Engage men in the workplace at all levels and in trade unions to be champions in preventing domestic violence.

•

Promote social dialogue in the design, implementation and review of policies, including through thenegotiation of collective bargaining agreements, as provided for in ILO Convention 190 and Recommendation 206.

•

Learn from what works to ensure that the best possible company measures are introduced, implemented and regularly evaluated.

•

Collect anonymized gender disaggregated data on domestic violence (of survivors and perpetrators)
and the workplace impacts.

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ENDNOTES
1.

UN Women (2020) COVID-19 and Ending Violence Against Women and Girls.
New York: UN Women, www.weps.org/resource/covid-19-and-ending-vi
olence -against-women-and-girls

2. WHO (World Health Organization) (2013) Global Regional Estimates of Violence Against Women Prevalence and Health Effects of Intimate Partner
Violence and Non-Partner Sexual Violence. Geneva: WHO. www.who.int/
reproductivehealth/publications/violence/9789241564625/en/
3. Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) (2015) Violence against women: an EUwide survey, main results. Vienna: FRA. https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra_uploads/fra-2014-vaw-survey-main-results-apr14_en.pdf
4. For a more detailed discussion of the business case for ending violenceagainst women see UN Women (2020) Zero tolerance: tackling sexual
harassment at work. New York: UN Women. Forthcoming: www.weps.org/resources.
5. UN Women (2016) The economic costs of violence against women. New
York: UN Women. www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2016/9/speech-by-lakshmi-puri-on-economic-costs-of-violence-against-women
6. EIGE (European Institute for Gender Equality) (2014) Estimating the costs ofgender-based violence in the European Union. European Institute for
Gender Equality. Vilnius: EIGE. https://eige.europa.eu/publications/esti
mating -costs-gender-based-violence-european-union-report
7.

IWPR (Institute for Women’s Policy Research) (2019) Dreams Deferred: A
Survey on the Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on Survivors’ Education,
Careers, and Economic Security. Washington DC: IWPR. https://iwpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/C475_IWPR-Report-Dreams-Deferred.pdf

12. ILO Convention No. 190 and Recommendation No. 206: www.ilo.org/global/publications/meeting-reports/WCMS_721160/lang--en/index.htm
13. In Spain, the protection of employment, right to domestic violence leaveand other supports in the workplace for victims of domestic violence is
set out in the Organic Law 1/2004 of 28 December 2004 on protection
against domestic violence. This, combined with Organic Law 3/2007 on
gender equality in the workplace, requires companies to draw up a Gender
Equality Plan in cooperation with trade unions. This has led to most large
companies in Spain introducing clauses and policies on domestic violence
at work. The New Zealand Domestic Violence Victims’ Protection Act 2018
established the right for workers to take 10 days domestic violence leaveamongst other workplace supports and protections. For further information on laws in other countries see UN Women & ILO Handbook Addressing
Violence against Women in the World of Work. www.unwomen.org/en/
digital-library/publications/2019/03/handbook-addressing-violence-and-harassment-against-women-in-the-world-of-work
14. See for example: DV@Work COVID-19 Briefings. http://dvatworknet.org/content/dvwork-covid-19-briefings
15. www.vodafone.com/covid19/news/domestic-violence-abuse-providing-support-during-isolation
16. Vodafone Foundation’s Bright Sky app, drawn up in partnership with UK
charity Hestia, aims to connect victims of domestic violence and abuse toadvice and support services. It has helped 100,000 high risk survivors infive countries. In addition, Easy Rescue has supported over 300,000 women in Turkey, and gender-based violence hotlines have been establishedin South Africa and Kenya giving help to over 300,000 women.

8. For a summary of research evidence about the effects of domestic violence on
survivors and the costs of domestic violence on companies see: UN
Women & ILO (2019) Handbook Addressing Violence and Harassment
Against Women in the World of Work: www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2019/03/handbook-addressing-violence-and-harassment-against-women-in-the-world-of-work. See also summary of research evidence in OneinThreeWomen & Fondation FACE (2019) Survey of six companies in six European countries (France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Italy andUK), 2019. www.fondationface.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/FACE_
ProjetOneInThreeWomen.210x297_UK.pdf

17. www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2016/12/unilever-and-un-women-announce-a-global-partnership;
www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/1/feature-un-women-and-unilever-team-up-in-tanzania;
www.unilever.com/news/news-and-features/Feature-article/2018/
breaking-the-silence-ending-harassment-keeping-women-safe.html

9.

20. The network includes Kering Foundation, L’Oréal, Korian, BNP Paribas,
Carrefour, SNCF, OuiCare amongst other companies. It was co-foundedby the Kering Foundation and the Fondation FACE.

Vodafone Company survey, see findings in Vodafone Toolkit: https://www.
vodafone.com/content/dam/vodcom/files/vodafone_foundation_em
ployer_domestic_violence_and_abuse_toolkit.pdf. OneinThreeWomen& Fondation FACE (2019) Survey of six companies in six European countries(France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Italy and UK), 2019: www.fondationface.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/FACE_-ProjetOneInThreeWomen.210x297_UK.pdf.

10. See UN, CEDAW Committee (1992) General Recommendation No. 19 on Violence against women, adopted at the 11th session, 1992, A/47/38, 29
January 1992. https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CEDAW/Shared%20
Documents/1_Global/INT_CEDAW_GEC_3731_E.pdf UN, General Assembly(1993) Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, A/RES/
48/104, 20 December 1993. www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/documents/atrocity-crimes/Doc.21_declaration%20elimination%20vaw.pdf.
Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing (1995), Beijing Declaration
and Platform for Action, adopted at the 16th Plenary session, 15 September
1995. www.un.org/en/events/pastevents/pdfs/Beijing_Declaration_and_Platform_for_Action.pdf

18. http://dvatworknet.org/content/rio-tinto-covid-19-resources
19. Kering Foundation: www.keringfoundation.org/coronavirus-and-lockdown-specialist-organizations-mobilize-ensure-support-and-resources-victims

21. www.avonworldwide.com/supporting-women/violence-against-women-and-girls/coronavirus-domestic-violence
22. Business Fights Poverty, Business @ Covid-19: Action Toolkit Gender-Based
Violence and Covid-19: https://businessfightspoverty.org/articles/how-can-business-respond-to-the-increase-in-domestic-violence-during-covid-19/
23. WEPs Principle 3: www.weps.org/principle/employee-health-well-being-and-safety
24. While all women and their children should have the choice to remain safely in their own homes, it is essential that they are provided with safety andsecurity support to make this possible, with a guarantee that the perpetrator will not return to the home or workplace. If this is not possible womenshould be able to access safe, secure and good quality emergency andlong-term accommodation.

11. Article 12 of the Istanbul Convention sets out a range of measures to prevent violence against women and can be interpreted to include workplacemeasures. Article 17 requires states parties to actively encourage theprivate sector and the media to contribute to the prevention of violenceagainst women: www.coe.int/en/web/istanbul-convention/text-of-the-convention

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@UN_Women@WEPrinciples@Empower_Women

unwomen.org

weps.org

empowerwomen.org

FURTHER RESOURCES•

UN Women / Women’s Empowerment Principles, COVID-19 and Gender Equality. A Call to Action for the Private Sector.
www.weps.org/resource/covid-19-and-gender-equality-call-action-private-sector•

UN Women and ILO, Handbook Addressing Violence and Harassment Against Women in the World of Work, 2019. www.unwomen.org/
en/digital-library/publications/2019/03/handbook-addressing-violence-and-harassment-against-women-in-the-world-of-work•

UN Women, COVID-19 and Ending Violence Against Women and Girls:
www.weps.org/resource/covid-19-and-ending-violence-against-women-and-girls•

UN Women, Zero tolerance: tackling sexual harassment at work, 2020, forthcoming: www.weps.org/resources•

Unstereotype Alliance, convened by UN Women, "Domestic Violence in COVID-19: A guidance tool for employers and businesses".
https://www.unstereotypealliance.org/en/resources/research/shadow-pandemic-business-toolkit•

Unstereotype Alliance, convened by UN Women, "5 Essentials for HR Practitioners: A support tool for employees experiencing domestic abuse
during COVID-19 home-based working." https://www.unstereotypealliance.org/en/resources/research/shadow-pandemic-business-toolkit•

ILO Convention 190 and Recommendation 206: https://www.ilo.org/global/publications/meeting-reports/WCMS_721160/lang--en/index.htm•

ILO Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190): 12 ways it can support the COVID-19 response and recovery. ILO Brief.
https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---gender/documents/publication/wcms_744782.pdf

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The brief was prepared by Dr. Jane Pillinger, Global Expert on Gender Equality and Gender-Based Violence at Work,
with contributions from Dina Deligiorgis and Kalliopi Mingeirou, UN Women’s Ending Violence against Women andGirls Section, and Anna Falth, Carla Kraft and Diana Rusu of the WE EMPOWER G7/WEPs team at UN Women’s Multistakeholder Partnership and Engagement Section. Design by Oliver Gantner.
DISCLAIMER
The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the European Union, UN Women, International
Labour Organization or the United Nations.

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