National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
December 6thmarks the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, in commemoration of the 14 young women who were killed at École Polytechnique in 1989.
In the last year, the #METOO movement has opened the floodgates of voices denouncing sexual harassment in the movie industry, the world of politics, sports, in academia, the medical profession, and at work.
A 2018 Angus Reid survey indicates that 52% of working women in Canada have been sexually harassed at work. And 28% have been subject to “non-consensual sexual touching” - sexual assault - in the workplace.
There is growing momentum to change this situation:
- The recent adoption of Bill C-65 amending the health and safety provisions of the Canada Labour Code demonstrates a renewed commitment to promoting harassment and violence free workplaces.
- The International Labour Organization is currently considering a draft Convention on gender-based violence at work; the federal government and Canadian labour movement is supporting the adoption of this convention. https://www.ilo.org/ilc/ILCSessions/107/committees/violence-harassment/lang--en/index.htm
- The theme this year of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence campaign is “End gender-based violence in the world of work”. https://16dayscwgl.rutgers.edu/
- Recent research shows that domestic violence all to often follows its victims at work, and new approaches are now being developed to tackle this problem.http://makeitourbusiness.ca/
The JLP is proud to be part of this global movement by promoting a greater awareness on harassment and violence in the workplace, and the importance of creating safe and secure workplaces for all.