The United Nations is widening its response to sexual harassment and gender violence with a system-wide survey across country offices, part of a broader push to make workplaces safer and more inclusive for staff.
The initiative was announced as the world marked the start of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence on 26 November 2018, with the campaign theme “Orange the World; Hear Me Too” aimed at drawing attention to violence against women and its effects on physical, psychological, social and spiritual well-being.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said the organisation must be held accountable on gender equality, promising to lead efforts to improve the institution’s record. In 2017, he urged: “Do not let us off the hook; keep our feet to the fire”.
The article links the harassment debate to the wider impact of violence against women, noting that more than one in three women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence, usually at the hands of an intimate partner. It also cites an Edison Research and Marketplace study that found 27% of women and 14% of men reported workplace harassment at some point.
Despite policy commitments on women’s rights, implementation remains uneven. The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa has still not secured universal ratification, while the HeForShe campaign, launched in September 2014, is described as having gained momentum but still needing stronger male participation.
The economic cost is presented as severe. A World Bank report released in 2018 estimated that countries are losing $160 trillion in wealth because of lifetime earnings gaps between women and men, equal to an average of $23,620 per person. The UNDP Africa Human Development Report for 2016 said gender inequality costs sub-Saharan Africa an average of $US95 billion a year.
Kenya is singled out as a country where progress in school enrolment has not yet translated into equal opportunity after education. According to a recent Kenya National Bureau of Statistics survey, only about a third of people in formal employment are women.
The piece says one year of secondary education for a girl can raise wages by as much as 25%, and that ensuring all girls in sub-Saharan Africa complete at least secondary school would cut child marriage by more than half. It argues that education delivers benefits across generations and remains one of the strongest tools for reducing inequality.
UN Secretary-General Guterres is also quoted warning that women’s rights are being “reduced, restricted and reversed”. The article says misogyny remains deeply rooted and often normalises harassment and violence, including through attitudes that excuse wife beating in some societies.
A World Bank Gender Data Portal figure cited in the report says 76.3 per cent of women in Mali and 92.1 per cent in Guinea believe a man is justified in beating his wife if she goes out without telling him, neglects the children, refuses sex, burns the food or argues with him.
The report says changing those attitudes must begin at home, before governments and companies can be expected to deliver gender-sensitive laws and policies. In Kenya, the UN has already set up a coordination network on protection from sexual exploitation and abuse at the Nairobi duty station.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed is also quoted saying women should not have to feel “grateful” for opportunities. The article closes by arguing that countries must dismantle structural barriers and treat gender equality as a practical strategy for sustainable development, not just a slogan.
