European Trade Union Committee for Education

Gender equality in leadership, education and employment, protection from gender-based violence, and recognition of women’s sexual and reproductive rights, are among many important topics addressed at the various events of the European Week of Action for Girls 2017. This week-long campaign takes place in Brussels from 9-13 October and seeks to provide recommendations on how to better protect and promote girls’ rights and empowerment through EU policies, practices and programmes.

The Girls Summit held on 11 October to mark the International Day of the Girl Child, brought together policymakers and civil society activists to discuss some of the biggest barriers to girls’ well-being, such as school dropout rates, gender-based violence, and the negative effects of poverty or legal migratory status on girl’s education. ETUCE repeatedly stated that the universal access to quality education for all contributes to creating more equal society and better living conditions and life chances.

Gender-based violence was also discussed at the international conference 'Can work be safe, when home isn't?’ held by the Belgian Institute for Gender Equality on 22 September. According to the results of the National Survey on the Impact of Domestic Violence on Work, Workers and Workplaces in Belgium presented by the Institute at the conference, 72.9% of victims of domestic violence reported that it had an impact on their work productivity and their interaction with the colleagues. Recognising the importance of enabling legal framework that defines the scope of violence in the world of work and indicates clear duties of employers and governments, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is currently discussing a new international labour standard(s) on violence and harassment in the world of work.

To learn more about addressing violence and harassment in schools, please read ETUCE reports and Action Plan on Preventing and Tackling Violence in Schools.