A woman tends to her work with a coworker. UN WOMEN CAMBODIA
UN Women has presented four recommendations to the nations of the Asia-Pacific region, aiming to drive transformative action, combat gender-based violence and address harassment in the workplace, with a focus on the factory sector.
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According to a recent press release from the UN agency, the four recommendations include the formulation of anti-harassment policies; the establishment of secure environments through collaboration involving governments, employers, workers and all other stakeholders; more research into gender-based workplace violence; and the enhancement of worker understanding of current policies and programmes.
The release highlighted that more than 1 in 5 individuals have encountered workplace violence in the forms of physical, psychological or sexual harassment. The statement also underscored the vulnerability of women and girls in such situations.
“The International Trade Union Confederation determined that most garment workers in Cambodia, Brazil and Indonesia have experienced gender-based violence at work,” it said.
The release noted that, as of October, 32 countries have ratified International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions which mandate the enactment of laws and policy measures to combat workplace violence and harassment, and extend protection to all, including those in the informal sector.
Nhean Sochetra, head of the General Department of Social Development at the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, said there has been an improvement in the situation of violence against women and girls.
“The concerning issue is the severity of some of the remaining cases, including homicides and sexual assaults,” she said, citing data from provincial women’s affairs departments across the country.
She added that survivors of violence should not hesitate to seek assistance relevant state institutions or civil society organisations.
According to a 2017 report by Care Cambodia and then-Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC), the annual cost to the garment industry of lost productivity due to sexual harassment was approximately $89 million per year.
