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I grew up in Australia, so I’m used to a certain pattern of antipodean headlines. Monster forest fires. strident politics. Unbearably cocky cricketers.
But recent weeks have brought news I didn’t expect to see in 2024: thousands of Australians have taken to the streets across the country to demonstrate against what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called a “national crisis” of violence against women. . .
A series of recent deaths meant that a woman had been murdered every four days on average this year, Albanese posted. Three died in the space of eight weeks in and around the inner city of Ballarat, Victoria, less than a two-hour drive from my childhood home. Another of her died last month in the town of Forbes, west of Sydney, allegedly at the hands of an ex-boyfriend who had been granted bail after being accused of several violent crimes against her.
His death spurred calls to reform bail laws that activists have long said prioritize the rights of criminals. At the time of writing, politicians were still in the process of responding.
The problem is by no means limited to Australia, where the levels of so-called “intimate partner violence” in the country match those OECD average.
But new official figures showed that the annual rate of women killed by a partner in the country increased almost 30 percent in 2022-23, after having declined steadily over the past three decades.
Governments should take the lead on this issue, of course, but the toll in Australia is a reminder that other groups can and should do more, including employers.
The idea that domestic violence is a problem in the workplace is not immediately obvious. I admit that when I first learned that companies like Vodafone, The real, Unilever and Accor He had specific policies on the subject, which surprised me. But it makes sense when you consider the impact this type of abuse has in the workplace and what employers can do to help.
United Kingdom investigation estimates that domestic abuse costs up to £14 billion a year in lost production due to lower productivity and time off work. That’s one reason the United Kingdom advises employers to consider the effect of domestic abuse on staff as part of their duty of care.
The problem has a domino effect. Nearly 40 percent of people affected by domestic violence say their co-workers were also affected, according to one Canadian. study presented. Most were stressed or worried, but in some cases colleagues may be threatened or physically hurt.
Many employers say they recognize the problem, but some studies suggest that only 5 percent have a detailed policy to address it.
It’s a shame considering how much companies can do to help people leave abusive relationships, which can take an average of Seven attempts to escape.
For starters, they can raise awareness and advertise outside services for anyone experiencing abuse, most of whom are women.
But they can also offer concrete practical help, such as financial assistance, temporary accommodation or Paid vacations to help staff deal with lawyers, get new housing or go to court.
Companies like L’Oréal will also move their staff to new workplaces if necessary; provide new mobile phone numbers and email addresses to those experiencing harassment; and offer safe parking options. Reception desks can receive alerts about the identity of abusers.
Taking into account that Official figures show that one in three women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence at least once in their life, it is obvious that many companies will have domestic abuse perpetrators as well as survivors on their staff.
That’s why some companies have disciplinary procedures that can lead to dismissal if company phones or computers are used to harass someone, inside or outside the workplace.
All of this underlines another vital argument for business involvement: it helps change social attitudes. Domestic violence flourishes when it is considered relatively normal. When an employer makes it clear that such abuse is unacceptable, he sends a message inside and outside the company.
Ultimately, any company that claims to take the well-being of its employees seriously is violating its own strategy if it does not take domestic abuse seriously, say analysts like Monika Queisser. She is head of social policy at the OECD, where most member governments now consider violence against women a top gender equality priority. I think she’s right. Companies cannot fight violence against women alone. But they can achieve much more than many imagine.