Shared responsibility & trust: The two key factors to tackle GBVH in garment & footwear supply chains

Without these two ‘ingredients’, we will continue to see slow progress in tackling the extremely complex issue of gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH). 

This was a key conclusion from ETI and RISE (Reimagining Industry to Support Equality)’s joint side session on GBVH at the OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector. 

Why these two ‘ingredients’? 

All stakeholders have a critical role to play and sharing responsibility enables a redressing of the power imbalances that we currently see in the industry. Brands, for example, have to leverage their influence and move away from a zero-tolerance approach to GBVH, towards collaboration with suppliers and other stakeholders to understand root causes, invest in prevention mechanisms, and address the issues together when they arise. And perhaps International Women’s Day is a good day to remind them?

Shared responsibility

When it comes to GBVH, the absence of laws and regulations such as ILO Convention 190 or in some instances, poor enforcement of the laws that protect workers from violence at work, mean suppliers and worker representatives have to take on a more proactive role in implementing prevention mechanisms that centre on freedom of association and collective bargaining. There is also a need to better integrate GBVH issues into risk assessments and occupational safety and health procedures. Despite the existence of numerous guidance documents, tools, and resources on GBVH in garment and footwear supply chains, their effectiveness is hindered by the lack of understanding of shared responsibility needed amongst partners for effective implementation across the supply chain.

The correlation between brand purchasing practices and GBVH incidences also needs to be acknowledged by brands. Clear linkages have been made between unrealistic production pressures leading to long working hours, forced overtime and increased incidences of violence and harassment against women workers. More continuous dialogue is required within sustainability and commercial teams of brands to acknowledge this and respond appropriately. In the same vein, suppliers should not be penalised with reduced business when they are honest about GBVH risks in their production operations.

Most critical to this are the women workers themselves, and the need to support them to realise their power and agency in the workplace towards addressing GBVH issues. Women workers should not be led to think that they are vulnerable. On the contrary, they are the engine behind global production in many supply chains including in garments and footwear. Without them, there are no products, no business, and no profits. 

Shared responsibility extends to the realisation that all stakeholders in the supply chain can support women to claim their power. Trade unions and civil society organisations have a responsibility to amplify the voice and agency of women workers in factories and address discriminatory social norms both within factory walls and in communities. Brands also have a role to play. During our side session, we heard how The Very Group has invested in resource centres which provide a one-stop-shop for women workers in India, before they migrate to southern states for work. There, they can learn about their rights, and access services to help them navigate the complexities of work in the sector. This is also in line with this year’s International Women’s Day theme, where investing in women is recognised as a human rights imperative and a cornerstone for building inclusive societies.

Trust

Trust is the backbone to all the above. Workers need to trust the grievance mechanisms in place such that when they report issues, they have confidence that appropriate remediation will follow. There is growing concern about the number of parallel grievance mechanisms, which can make the process of seeking remediation more complex. Brands need to find ways to work together and avoid overwhelming workers with many different types of grievance mechanisms. Trade unions, suppliers and brands need to trust each other for social dialogue to happen. During the session, we heard about the potential of legally binding agreements such as the Accord. The Dindigul and  Lesotho agreements have also demonstrated that positive results can be achieved when negotiations between unions and employers openly address GBVH issues, leading to the implementation of effective and trusted complaints and prevention mechanisms.

To sum up, GBVH is a very complex issue, and without trust among industry stakeholders and a willingness to share the responsibility for action, progress will continue to lag. 

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ETI and RISE are committed to continue working in collaboration with industry stakeholders to build the bridges required for sustained improvements in the working lives of millions of women across global supply chains.

Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) is a leading alliance of trade unions, NGOs and companies, working together with key stakeholders to promote practical solutions to end the abuse of human rights at work. Through its tripartite membership ETI is actively working on addressing GBVH risks in apparel supply chains via the application of a gender responsive human rights due diligence. 

For more information on ETI’s work on GBVH, contact Laurent.Arnone@eti.org.uk

RISE: Reimagining Industry to Support Equality is an initiative to support collaborative industry action at scale, to advance gender equality in global garment, footwear and home textiles supply chains. RISE Respect is RISE’s comprehensive approach for preventing and remediating GBVH in the garment industry.

For more information on RISE Respect Program, contact iloreto@rise.org