How 11 Women-Led Organizations are Fighting Gender-Based Violence in Global Value Chains
By David Wofford, Senior Director for Private Sector Strategy and Engagement, Universal Access Project
One in three women experience violence in their lifetime, a “global problem of pandemic proportions,” according to the World Health Organization. This is a grave violation of human rights and dignity. It is also a roadblock to gender equality and women’s full and equal participation in society and public life, including the workplace.
An estimated 190 million women work in global value chains, especially in the garment manufacturing and agriculture industries. In some regions, women even make up the majority of the value chain workforce – offering new opportunities for economic empowerment and resilience for them and their communities. However, women continue to face disproportionate challenges in the workforce including discrimination, violence and harassment.
On top of the costs to human rights and gender equality, the financial costs of gender-based violence in the workplace are steep. CARE estimated that sexual harassment costs the Cambodian garment sector $89 million yearly, and the International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that violence and harassment in the workforce may account for a loss of one to three and a half percent of a country’s gross domestic profit.
It’s clear that gender-based violence in the workplace and, in particular, global value chains, is persistent, insidious, and costly. For the first time, companies have come together to change that by investing in local, women-led organizations who are the center of change in their communities.
A new approach to corporate philanthropy, The Resilience Fund for Women in Global Value Chains, brings together companies, foundations, and feminist leaders to invest in women’s health, safety and economic resilience. The Resilience Fund is putting trust and resources into the hands of local, women-led organizations connected to corporate value chains primarily in Cambodia, Vietnam, India and Bangladesh to determine solutions for their own communities.
With the flexible funding provided by the Resilience Fund, organizations can direct support where they think it will yield the strongest outcome, such as:
In Cambodia, the Women's Media Center reaches more than 2 million people across the country to promote gender equity, democracy, and women’s empowerment. It develops educational media targeted to rural communities using radio and digital media to promote gender equality, including combatting gender-based violence, with a focus on reaching factory workers.
CSAGA, based in Vietnam, uses hotlines, chat boxes, online pages, and two shelter houses based in Ho Chi Minh and Da Nang cities to reach thousands of people impacted by physical and psychological gender-based violence.
“We believe that light will overshadow darkness...Our efforts will contribute to bringing about peaceful lives to all women and girls,” said Nguyen Van Anh, Founder and Director of CSAGA. “They deserve to live without fear of gender-based violence.”
In Bangladesh, Badabon Sagho offers legal, medical, travel and food assistance for gender-based violence survivors, caretakers, and witnesses. It works with more than 150 women’s groups, civil society organizations, and legal experts to collectively confront gender-based violence across the country.
“This is real happiness, when we are able to stand beside a survivor,” said Tarmin Sultana, Program Organizer at Badabon Sangho.
SWATI, a feminist organization in India, recognized the need for more dedicated gender-based violence prevention and support in rural areas and developed a hospital-based crisis intervention and support center, including a community outreach component, focused on early detection of violence against women in remote and rural areas.
Click through below to explore more about these and other Resilience Fund partners who are working to advance women’s health, safety and resilience in their communities tied to global value chains:
