Significantly Reduce All Forms of Violence and Related Death Rates Everywhere

Further to the United Nations response to the military coup in Myanmar, the business community was urged to speak out against the attack on democratic processes and human rights violations, including the efforts to limit access to the internet as well as restrict freedom of assembly and expression and the killing of protestors. Businesses issued statements raising concerns regarding these actions. Their statements made clear that “we inhabit a ‘shared space' with the people of Myanmar, including civil society organizations, in which we all benefit from respect for human rights, democracy and fundamental freedoms — including freedom of expression and association — and the rule of law”. (Source)

Historically, the legal system has marginalized low-income and under-represented Asian Americans who have not been afforded due process, let alone the basic respect and attention their cases deserve. Victims often lack access to legal remedies and support because of language and cultural barriers, among other inhibiting factors. Victims of anti-Asian hate need culturally responsive advocates and real solutions. In response to heightened attacks on the Asian American community, a group of Fortune 1000 General Counsel and over 40 law firms announced the creation of The Alliance for Asian American Justice (The Alliance), a national pro bono initiative committed to standing up for victims and preventing future acts of anti-Asian hate. (Source)

Following the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, many business leaders declined to attend the annual Future Investment Initiative, known as “Davos in the Desert”, given questions about the circumstances surrounding Khashoggi’s death.  (Source)

In the days following the insurrection at the United States Capitol on 6 January 2021, Chief Executive Officers from across the business community issued statements condemning the violence and defending democratic governance and the rule of law in the United States. In addition to such statements as well as to grave concerns expressed by the United Nations and others, many businesses announced changes to their political contribution policies, with certain companies refusing to contribute to specific candidates who opposed the certification of the President-elect while others paused all political contributions. The shock of the events at the Capitol — and the threat posed to the United States electoral system — sparked an unprecedented response from the business community in defence of democratic institutions and processes. The business community previously made statements before the presidential election supporting the integrity of the electoral process and the peaceful transfer of power. (Source)

Asset managers De Pury Pictet Turrettini (PPT) launched the Cadmos Peace Investment Fund with the PeaceNexus Foundation in 2018 to invest in multinational businesses with large economic footprints in fragile countries. Of these businesses, the Fund invests in companies that have a net positive impact in peacebuilding (as measured by the PeaceNexus Peacebuilding Business Index). The investment is supported by stakeholder engagement to raise awareness of the peacebuilding criteria that are included in the Index and that extend beyond standard ESG measures. (Source)

Created by the Vodafone Foundation to connect victims of abuse including domestic violence to advisory and support services. Bright Sky was created in partnership with the United Kingdom-based crisis support charity Hestia. It enables users to locate their nearest support centre by their current location or by a specific area or postal code. A short questionnaire also helps users assess the safety of a relationship and provides information about different forms of abuse, the types of support available, steps to consider in leaving an abusive relationship and how to help a friend affected by domestic abuse. The app is also designed to log incidents of domestic abuse without any content being saved on the device itself. It enables users to record incidents in a secure digital journal using a text, audio, video or photo function. Evidence collated through this function will enable police to intervene and can help secure prosecutions. During COVID-19, the Bright Sky app has seen a 47 per cent increase in weekly downloads. (Source)

The sheer human impact of domestic and family violence in the community compels us all to take action on all fronts. Workplaces are proving to be essential partners in this effort. Employers are now stepping up with action on the confronting issue of employees who may use domestic and family violence. Male Champions of Change and other partners developed this guidance to help organizations balance accountability and support for these employees while ensuring the safety of those affected. (Source)

In response to the significant rise in domestic violence cases resulting from extended lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, Unilever has made its Global Domestic Violence and Abuse Policy available to other employers to help businesses that do not have one put measures in place to support employees and customers. (Source)

The Connecting Business initiative (CBi) engages the business community strategically before, during and after emergencies, including conflict, to increase the scale and effectiveness of risk reduction, response and recovery. Through 17 private sector networks, this initiative reaches 4,100 member companies and has access to more than 40,000 micro-,small- and medium-sized enterprises. (Source)

Released by corporate and non-governmental organization members of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights Initiative during the focus on police brutality in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in May 2020, the Joint Statement draws on two decades of the Initiative’s global experience with integrating human rights safeguards into security arrangements. It highlights the importance of improving the human rights performance of public and private security organizations. Moreover, it outlines relevant principles and best practices including periodic risk assessments by security providers, effective community engagement including with women and vulnerable groups, regular training on de-escalation techniques and human rights compliance as well as accountability in cases of human rights violations. (Source)

One in Three Women™ in the world will be raped, beaten, sexually coerced, trafficked or otherwise abused in her lifetime. This global campaign seeks to raise awareness of violence against women; create a global perspective; be a global voice and increase action and community mobilization against violence against women; and support programmes, organizations and communities working to help victims and survivors. L’Oréal, as a participating member of the European network, conducted a survey on the impact of such violence on people’s daily work. Some 40,000 employees from six companies in six countries were interviewed. The survey enabled the network to measure the impact of this violence on the victim and on his or her team, in terms of absenteeism and effectiveness at work. (Source)

In addition to supporting the Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality's ‘There Is a Way Out of Gender-Based Violence’ campaign, Iberdrola has created a special programme that includes protection and support measures for working women, including to inform, assist and protect victims of domestic violence. Some important measures include economic support for rent and school expenses derived from moving to new homes; leave and the possibility of being granted a temporary suspension of the employment contract; the possibility of moving to other work centers; one-month unpaid leave without the need to give a reason; the provision of flexible working hours, granting of personal loans or advances; and psychological, medical and legal advice. These measures are reviewed and monitored on a continuous basis by the Equality Committee comprising the company's management and the trade unions. (Source)

Stand Up is a training programme designed to help prevent street harassment and build safe, inclusive spaces for all. The programme is powered by L'Oréal Paris in partnership with the non-governmental organization Hollaback!. L’Oréal Paris invited its family of high-profile spokespeople and influencers, including Céline Dion, Viola Davis, Helen Mirren, Eva Longoria, Katherine Langford, Cindy Bruna, Andie McDowell and Aja Naomi King, to rally behind its “Stand Up Against Street Harassment” initiative to encourage people to get trained via the dedicated Stand Up website. Over 200,000 people have been trained to date. (Source)

A number of United States-based Chief Executive Officers endorsed a ban on chokeholds, a police misconduct registry and other changes. These recommendations come from the Business Roundtable, which represents the Chief Executives of 193 large companies, and this stance represents the first step by business leaders to support police reform to curb the abuse of power and systemic racism within law enforcement. (Source)

In response to the violence against five employees of the Bugalagrande factory, Nestlé Colombia launched a series of violence prevention and reduction programmes that included employee security awareness and protection training; human rights training for the security team; and collective action initiatives to develop human rights guidelines. Further, Nestlé created a violence observatory to gather data to inform local public policy and is supporting reconciliation capability that offers community-level conflict resolution services. (Source)

The Toks restaurant chain in Mexico established a programme to eradicate workplace harassment and violence among its employees. This initiative started with a pilot awareness campaign for employees to identify various forms of violence experienced, including verbal, psychological, physical and sexual violence in the workplace, at home and in the community. Employees at 18 restaurants were asked to complete a violence survey (Violentómetro) that raised their awareness of the various forms of violent behaviours they might encounter. Using the data from the surveys, programmes and policies were implemented to address violence in the workplace. This led to a 40 per cent reduction in turnover and a rise in worker happiness in addition to a 21 per cent increase in customer satisfaction. (Source)