They exist because there is a market, driven by consumer demand, and because in some parts of the world the feminization of poverty, lack of access to resources and the growing rates of unemployment and economic insecurity have expanded the pool of recruits for both trafficking and migration. In labour-importing countries, gender selectivity and sensitivity of immigration laws have often pushed migrant women into precarious, illegal and unprotected employment. Cultural norms and the resultingperception in different contexts and cultures of what constitutes violence is extremely diverse. Violence at work as a human rights issue cannot be dismissed on cultural grounds. It is important to approach the problem of violence comprehensively.
Violence is detrimental to the efficient functioning of the workplace.
Any strategy to combat violence in the workplace should seek to address the organizational, managerial and interpersonal roots of the violence, and to increase the security of workers and provide rehabilitation and psychological counseling, when necessary, to help victims cope with the aftermath of violence. More must be done in this area. Sensitization campaigns and lobbying are important to raise consciousness and, in some instances, have led to the negotiation of codes of conduct regarding working conditions. Concerning migration and the trafficking of women and children, cooperation should be sought at the regional or sub-regional level. The ILO has been concerned about the problem for many years.