Seminar on domestic violence law and companies’ responsibilities held in Beijing
The spillover of domestic violence to workplaces requires attentions and joint actions of government, workers’ and employers’ organizations. To reduce the impacts of domestic violence in the world of work, an integrated approach should be taken.
Beijing (ILO and UN Women News) -- UN Women, the Embassy of Sweden, and the International Labour Organization (ILO) held a seminar on China’s new anti-domestic violence law (DV law) and companies’ responsibilities on 9 May 2017. This event followed up on the 2016 International Conference on Gender Equality and CSR held in November in Beijing.
China’s first anti-domestic violence law came into effect in March 2016, which marked a step forward for the protection of women’s rights in China. After fourteen months, the implementation of the DV law has gained good experiences through the efforts of government and all sectors of society, as presented by Ms Qian Yewei, from the Policy and Legislation Division, Department for Women’s Rights and Interests at ACWF. However, how DV affects companies, what companies can do to prevent and respond to DV, and what kind of support they may need, are still new topics in China.
At the seminar, the Asia Foundation and Syntao presented the findings of its first study on the impact of domestic violence in the workplace in China. The study included some important findings, such as domestic violence has an adverse effect on the victims’ attendance rate at work and mental health; DV causes loss of productivity and increased turnover rates, which is costly for companies. The study also presented case studies of Chinese companies and recommendations for employers on how to address domestic violence.
The seminar brought together around 60 representatives from the government, embassies, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and academia to discuss how companies can best prevent and respond to domestic violence, identify what kind of support they might need, and reflect on why addressing DV is beneficial to businesses. “It is crucial that companies have the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively tackle these complex issues by implementing gender-sensitive CSR strategies, as mandated under China’s Domestic Violence Law”, said Ms Guo Ruixiang, UN Women Programme Coordinator.
“Domestic violence is not just a “family matter”, but an issue with profound social and economic repercussions. Domestic violence not only undermines personal security and well-being, it has the potential to dent family income, affect corporate bottom lines and weigh on social protection budgets. That also makes the workplace a good place to start with an integrated approach to domestic violence and bring workers and employers on board. It results in high costs for workers, employers and society,” said Mr Tim De Meyer, Director of ILO Country Office for China and Mongolia. He also highlighted “the spillover of domestic violence to workplaces requires attentions and joint actions of government, workers’ and employers’ organizations. To reduce the impacts of domestic violence in the world of work, an integrated approach should be taken.”
China’s first anti-domestic violence law came into effect in March 2016, which marked a step forward for the protection of women’s rights in China. After fourteen months, the implementation of the DV law has gained good experiences through the efforts of government and all sectors of society, as presented by Ms Qian Yewei, from the Policy and Legislation Division, Department for Women’s Rights and Interests at ACWF. However, how DV affects companies, what companies can do to prevent and respond to DV, and what kind of support they may need, are still new topics in China.
At the seminar, the Asia Foundation and Syntao presented the findings of its first study on the impact of domestic violence in the workplace in China. The study included some important findings, such as domestic violence has an adverse effect on the victims’ attendance rate at work and mental health; DV causes loss of productivity and increased turnover rates, which is costly for companies. The study also presented case studies of Chinese companies and recommendations for employers on how to address domestic violence.
The seminar brought together around 60 representatives from the government, embassies, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and academia to discuss how companies can best prevent and respond to domestic violence, identify what kind of support they might need, and reflect on why addressing DV is beneficial to businesses. “It is crucial that companies have the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively tackle these complex issues by implementing gender-sensitive CSR strategies, as mandated under China’s Domestic Violence Law”, said Ms Guo Ruixiang, UN Women Programme Coordinator.
“Domestic violence is not just a “family matter”, but an issue with profound social and economic repercussions. Domestic violence not only undermines personal security and well-being, it has the potential to dent family income, affect corporate bottom lines and weigh on social protection budgets. That also makes the workplace a good place to start with an integrated approach to domestic violence and bring workers and employers on board. It results in high costs for workers, employers and society,” said Mr Tim De Meyer, Director of ILO Country Office for China and Mongolia. He also highlighted “the spillover of domestic violence to workplaces requires attentions and joint actions of government, workers’ and employers’ organizations. To reduce the impacts of domestic violence in the world of work, an integrated approach should be taken.”