An Employment Right- Standard Provisions for Working Women Experiencing Domestic Violence

Author: Anna Lee Fos-Tuvera, Jane Aeberhard-Hodges, Ludo McFerran
Regions: Asia-Pacific
Country: Australia, Philippines
Year: 2018
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In many countries the majority of those experiencing domestic violence are in paid employment. Maintaining employment and economic independence is a critical pathway to reducing the impacts of domestic violence of homelessness and unemployment. Yet, the workplace is not firmly part of an integrated global response to reducing the impacts of domestic violence. The link between domestic violence and the workplace is part of the current ILO debate on an international gender-based violence labour standard. There are a growing number of national strategies responding to the impacts of domestic violence that spill over into the workplace in the form of attendance, performance and safety. This article focuses on two different jurisdictional approaches, from Australia (collective bargaining) and the Philippines (national legislation) to assess the efficacy of different approaches and increase international knowledge sharing on this critical work challenge. Using comparative methodology, this article analyses the factors that have contributed to improved conditions and implementation of domestic violence rights at work, the special role of trade union bodies in driving advances and maintaining good implementation, and the challenges to further progress in areas such as small business and employed domestic violence perpetrators. The authors call on progressive employers to support the
global campaign for sustainable domestic violence rights at work.

Social Protection and Human Rights