Addressing gender-based violence and harassment in a work health and safety framework

ILOWorkingPaper116 June/2024 ▶Addressinggender-basedviolenceandharassmentinaworkhealthandsafetyframework Author/RachelCox Copyright©InternationalLabourOrganization2024 ThisisanopenaccessworkdistributedundertheCreativeCommonsAttribution4.0InternationalLicense(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Userscanreuse,share,adaptandbuildupontheoriginalwork,asdetailedintheLicense.TheILOmustbeclearlycreditedastheown-eroftheoriginalwork.TheuseoftheemblemoftheILOisnotpermittedinconnectionwithusers’work. Attribution–Theworkmustbecitedasfollows:Cox,R.Addressinggender-basedviolenceandharassmentinaworkhealthandsafetyframework.ILOWorkingPaper116.Geneva:InternationalLabourOffice,2024. Translations–Incaseofatranslationofthiswork,thefollowingdisclaimermustbeaddedalongwiththeattribution:ThistranslationwasnotcreatedbytheInternationalLabourOrganization(ILO)andshouldnotbeconsideredanofficialILOtranslation.TheILOisnotresponsibleforthecontentoraccuracyofthistranslation. Adaptations–Incaseofanadaptationofthiswork,thefollowingdisclaimermustbeaddedalongwiththeattribution:ThisisanadaptationofanoriginalworkbytheInternationalLabourOrganization(ILO).ResponsibilityfortheviewsandopinionsexpressedintheadaptationrestssolelywiththeauthororauthorsoftheadaptationandarenotendorsedbytheILO. ThisCClicensedoesnotapplytonon-ILOcopyrightmaterialsincludedinthispublication.Ifthematerialisattributedtoathirdparty,theuserofsuchmaterialissolelyresponsibleforclearingtherightswiththerightholder. Anydisputearisingunderthislicensethatcannotbesettledamicablyshallbereferredtoarbitra-tioninaccordancewiththeArbitrationRulesoftheUnitedNationsCommissiononInternationalTradeLaw(UNCITRAL).Thepartiesshallbeboundbyanyarbitrationawardrenderedasaresultofsucharbitrationasthefinaladjudicationofsuchadispute. AllqueriesonrightsandlicensingshouldbeaddressedtotheILOPublishingUnit(RightsandLicensing),1211Geneva22,Switzerland,orbyemailtorights@ilo.org. ISBN9789220408988(print),ISBN9789220408995(webPDF),ISBN9789220409008(epub),ISBN9789220409022(mobi),ISBN9789220409015(html).ISSN2708-3438(print),ISSN2708-3446 (digital)https://doi.org/10.54394/HZNN2278 ThedesignationsemployedinILOpublications,whichareinconformitywithUnitedNationspractice,andthepresentationofmaterialthereindonotimplytheexpressionofanyopinionwhatsoeveronthepartoftheILOconcerningthelegalstatusofanycountry,areaorterritoryorofitsauthorities,orconcerningthedelimitationofitsfrontiers. Theresponsibilityforopinionsexpressedinsignedarticles,studiesandothercontributionsrestssolelywiththeirauthors,andpublicationdoesnotconstituteanendorsementbytheILOoftheopinionsexpressedinthem. Referencetonamesoffirmsandcommercialproductsandprocessesdoesnotimplytheiren-dorsementbytheILO,andanyfailuretomentionaparticularfirm,commercialproductorpro-cessisnotasignofdisapproval. InformationonILOpublicationsanddigitalproductscanbefoundat:www.ilo.org/publns ILOWorkingPaperssummarizetheresultsofILOresearchinprogress,andseektostimulatediscussionofarangeofissuesrelatedtotheworldofwork.CommentsonthisILOWorkingPaperarewelcomeandcanbesenttocox.rachel@uqam.ca. Authorizationforpublication:CatherineSaget,RESEARCHChiefofWork,Income&Equity(WIE)ILOWorkingPaperscanbefoundat:www.ilo.org/global/publications/working-papers Suggestedcitation: Cox,R.2024.Addressinggender-basedviolenceandharassmentinaworkhealthandsafetyframe-work,ILOWorkingPaper116(Geneva,ILO).https://doi.org/10.54394/HZNN2278 Abstract Thisreportlooksattheimplicationsofaddressinggender-basedviolenceandharassment(GBVH)underaworkhealthandsafety(WHS)framework.Itdescribesthecharacteristicsofgender-re-sponsiveWHSapproachestopreventionofviolenceandharassment,inparticularwithrespecttoriskassessmentandotherWHSpreventionmechanisms.Integrationofrightsandobligationsunderequalityandnon-discriminationlegislationandWHSlegislationareconsidered,specifical-lywithrespecttoresponsestoGBVHwithinorganizationsandaccesstoremediesforworkerswhohavebeenharmedbysuchbehaviour.Parallelpreventiondutiesincumbentonorganiza-tionsarealsoconsidered. ThereportconcludesthataddressingGBVHunderaWHSframeworkallowsforproactive,sys-tematic,collective,inclusiveandpubliclyenforceableapproachestoprevention.Assuch,WHSregimeshavethepotentialtoofferthekindofprogressiveandtransformationalchangeneed-edtopreventGBVHatworkandensurethatwomen’sandotherpeople’sequalityrights,aswellastheirhealthandsafety,arerespected.However,givenhistoricalandongoingresistancetotheideathatGBVHisawork-relatedrisk,alegalobligationtoconductagender-responsiveriskassessmentemergesasanimportantpreconditionforeffectiveprevention. Abouttheauthors RachelCoxisalawyerandfullprofessorintheDépartementdessciencesjuridiquesoftheUniversitéduQuébecàMontréal(UQAM).Herresearchinterestslieattheintersectionofworkhealthandsafetylawandequalityrightslaw.Sheprefersinterdisciplinaryresearchprojectsandoftenparticipatesincollaborativeresearch.In2022sheactedasChairofanExpertCommitteeappointedbytheQuebecgovernmenttoanalyserecourseandpreventionwithrespecttosex-ualharassmentatworkunderlabour,empl