Goal
To mobilize knowledge about domestic violence and its impacts on workplaces and workers
Value Statements
- Domestic violence is a manifestation of gender inequality and systemic gender-based discrimination. Not all perpetrators are male and all victims female. At the same time, research over more than thirty years from around the world clearly indicates that domestic violence is primarily perpetrated by men against a female partner or ex-partner. Our gender-based analysis recognizes that the socially attributed norms, roles and expectations of masculinity and femininity which affect intimate relationships and family structures are integral to the use and experience of violence and abuse, whether perpetrated by men or by women.i
- Every human being has the right to live free from domestic violence at home and at work.
- Victims and perpetrators of domestic violence deserve access to supports, services and interventions that will ensure safety and allow them to live free from violence.
Working Principles
- Domestic violence can affect attendance, performance and safety at work for workers and their co-workers.
- Domestic violence negatively impacts the productivity of workplaces.
- Domestic violence is a workplace issue that requires enforceable and standardized industrial/workplace responses.
Strategies for addressing domestic violence at work include:
- Bargaining for domestic violence clauses in collective agreements
- Including domestic violence protections in employment legislation
- Including protections from discrimination related to domestic violence in anti-discrimination legislation
- Including and strengthening protections for workers experiencing domestic violence in occupational health and safety legislation
- Developing education and training materials and resources
i Adapted from the Chief Executive’s Letter (CEL 41) on Gender-Based Violence, NHS Scotland, 2008