November 22 2024

November 25 is designated by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The United Nations states that violence against women and girls remains one of the prevalent and pervasive human rights violations in the world. Globally, it is estimated that a woman is killed every 10 minutes. Statistics Canada reported that in 2021 ninety homicide victims were killed by an intimate partner – 76% of these victims were women and girls. Violence against women and girls is increasing in areas such as the workplace and online and has been exacerbated by conflicts and climate change.

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women also marks the start of the global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) (November 25 to December 10). The United Nations 2024 campaign is Every 10 Minutes, a woman is killed. #NoExcuse . UNiTE to End Violence against Women and seeks to draw attention to the escalation of violence against women and the need for governments to take action against it.

The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), of which NUPGE is an affiliate, theme for the 16 days of action will focus on its campaign Not Part of the Job: End GBV at Work. The campaign is a demand for action by employers and governments to find concrete solutions to the alarming rise in gender-based harassment and violence in the workplace, particularly by third parties. Third-party violence and harassment (TPVH) refers to non-employees such as clients, customers, patients, and students perpetrating violence and harassment against workers. TPVH disproportionately impacts women and gender-diverse, Indigenous, Black and racialized workers as they are more likely to be working in jobs that interact with members of the public such as healthcare, retail and hospitality, education and social services. Workers who deal with the public are increasingly on the receiving end of frustrations caused by high costs, long wait times, and reduced services.

The National Union of Public and General Employees supports the CLC’s demand that the federal government help Canadian unions make work safer by coordinating a national strategy with the provinces and territories to implement ILO C-190 and to conduct a national campaign to raise awareness that workers deserve the right to work free from violence and harassment.