Publications
In Their Own Words: Workers Address Gender-Based Violence & Harassment in South Africa’s Garment Factories and Clothing Retail Stores
In South Africa, 98 percent of women garment and retail workers surveyed in 2022 said they had experienced one or more forms of gender-based violence or harassment, including physical abuse, unwanted sexual advances, psychological abuse, bullying and rape. To better understand the experiences of women and other marginalized workers in garment and retail industries with GBVH, and elevate their voices in advocacy campaigns, the Solidarity Center partnered with three trade unions and two civil society organizations to conduct participatory action research.
Download the summary publication here. (Full report coming soon!)
In Our Own Words: Workers Address Gender-Based Violence and Harassment in Garment Factories in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, 80 percent of women garment workers surveyed in 2019 reported they had experienced or witnessed sexual harassment, molestation or assault, endured extreme verbal abuse or witnessed a factory manager or supervisor abuse and harass other women in the factory. To better understand the experiences of women the garment industry with GBVH and elevate their voices in advocacy campaigns, the Solidarity Center partnered with six trade union federations and three civil society organizations to conduct participatory action research.
Fighting for Lives and Livelihoods: Workers, the Pandemic and the Law
It has been widely reported that when the COVID-19 pandemic began, governments and employers were ill-informed, ill-prepared and in many cases willing to risk the lives of workers for profits-leading to occupational health and safety failures globally. This issue brief focuses on the fights by workers to ensure safe and healthy working conditions during the pandemic and how they were able to use the law to do so. This includes 11 case studies from Argentina, France, India, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States and a global essay about seafarers.
Download it here.
Global Impact report: Eradicating Gender-Based Violence and Harassment at Work
The Solidarity Center Global Impact report highlights the Solidarity Center’s support of unions and civil society organizations in ending gender-based violence (GBVH) at work and showcases key outcomes, including a landmark agreement to address GBVH in Lesotho garment factories.
Download it here.
ADDRESSING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AND HARASSMENT IN THE WORLD OF WORK: An Analysis of Nigeria’s Legal Framework for Conformity with ILO Convention 190
The report outlines the current legal framework in Nigeria regarding violence and harassment at work; examines key provisions of C190 and how to amend laws to fully realize these protections; and identifies opportunities for legal practitioners to utilize existing laws and mechanisms to ensure that all workers in Nigeria enjoy the fundamental right to be free from GBVH and other forms of violence and harassment in the world of work.
Download it here.
Securing Equal Access to Decent Work in Nigeria: A Report by Workers with Disabilities
A survey of more than 600 workers with disabilities in Nigeria conducted by the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) Women Commission and the Solidarity Center in collaboration with Nigerian unions and disability rights organizations, finds that most workers with disabilities cannot access decent work as defined by the UN International Labor Organization (ILO).The study—for its sample size and breadth, as well as for the collaboration between trade unions and disability rights organizations—is the first of its kind.
2021–2022 Agreements to Eliminate Gender-Based Violence and Harassment in Lesotho
A report by Workers’ Rights Watch tracks progress on a precedent-setting, worker-centered program in Lesotho garment factories to prevent gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) of garment workers producing jeans for the global market. The Lesotho Agreements represent the first instance in which brands and their suppliers have entered into enforceable agreements with worker representatives to stop GBVH and protect workers. Sexual violence against garment workers is a well-documented worldwide problem.
Download it here.
Mapping Domestic Work and Discrimination in Africa
This report looks at the domestic, regional and international legal frameworks regulating domestic work in nine countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda.
Download it here.
2022 Annual Report
In 2022, the Solidarity Center marked a quarter century of supporting embattled workers, advocating and litigating for change, and celebrating worker rights advances in troubled times. As crackdowns on fundamental civil rights intensify around the world, workers and their unions are often the first targets. However, with their collective strength, workers and their movements have proven to be the largest force for protecting democracy. Learn more about how the Solidarity Center is standing with workers, trade unions and their movements in 60-plus countries reaching more than 70 million workers in our 2022 annual report.
TELEWORKING IN SOUTH AFRICA: LAWS AND CHALLENGES IN AN UNEQUAL SOCIETY
The ILAW Network is pleased to release reports on the regulation of telework in Mauritius and South Africa. The reports examine the impact of telework on a range of worker rights topics, including the regulation of atypical work, access to health and safety measures, work hours and the right to disconnect, protections against discrimination, privacy, and the right to collective bargaining.
Download it here.