Domestic Violence Against Women Increases During Pandemic (WSN Spotlight)
The Canadian Labour Congress has made a submission to the United Nations on COVID-19 and the increase of domestic violence against women. Submitted to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its Causes and Consequences, the brief highlights the increase in gender based violence since the pandemic began in Canada. It also provides a list of recommendations that employers and governments must take.
Highlights include:
Employers must communicate with workers about domestic violence and provide resources on supports available from employers and service organizations.
Employers must create safety plans with service providers for workers experiencing domestic violence, and adapt existing safety plans to the pandemic context.
Employers must allow flexibility in access to work sites and office space for workers who may be impacted by domestic violence.
Governments must allow exceptions to provincial border crossing restrictions for women fleeing domestic violence.
Governments must amend provincial and territorial tenancy acts to allow for people fleeing domestic violence to break their lease without penalty.
Governments must address service discrepancies across and between jurisdictions by creating a national framework with provinces and territories. This would require aligning capital funding (federal) with operational funding (provincial), and standardizing services across provinces.
Read the full brief.
Stay tuned for the next IFPTE Women’s Solidarity Network feature on Women & COVID-19!
