We are excited to invite you to an insightful online panel on Friday, 20 February, from 11:00 to 13:00 CET, featuring leading experts who will explore key challenges and opportunities in responding to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Healthcare. This is a unique chance to listen to experts from a variety of fields and gain valuable insights.
Don’t miss out – register now to secure your spot: https://www.1ka.si/a/cdecfa83?language=2
According to the findings of the International Labour Organization (ILO), more than one in five employees worldwide have experienced at least one form of violence or harassment at work during their working life. Such prevalence is fundamentally incompatible with the concept of decent work, as defined by the ILO. Violence in work environments can take many forms – one of them being Gender-Based Violence (GBV), which represents the primary focus of the BRAVE-WOW project and this panel.
GBV is particularly relevant in the healthcare sector, which is consistently identified as one of the sectors most exposed to such form of workplace violence. Healthcare workers, especially nurses, caregivers and support staff, face significantly higher risks of verbal abuse, sexual harassment and physical violence compared to workers in many other sectors. Due to normalization, fear of retaliation, hierarchical structures and a lack of clear reporting mechanisms, GBV in healthcare settings is often undetected, underreported or not explicitly recognized as such. This makes it especially important to explore how systems can ensure adequate identification, reporting and processing of GBV and how organizations can actively contribute to healthy working environments grounded in a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of violence.
Expert panelists will critically examine how gender-based violence manifests within workplace dynamics and why its individual, organizational and systemic consequences remain insufficiently addressed. The discussion will explore to what extent existing scientific evidence and initiatives such as the BRAVE-WOW project are effectively translated into decision-making, policy development and preventive action. A particular focus will be placed on the persistent gaps between formal commitments, regulatory frameworks and their practical implementation, which continue to allow violence to persist. The panel will also question how responsibilities are currently distributed among experts, employee unions and policymakers, and where accountability mechanisms fail to adequately prevent violence and ensure meaningful support for victims.
Speakers include Denis Kordež, State Secretary at the Ministry of Health of Slovenia and member of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe Standing Committee; Adam Rogalewski, Policy Officer at the European Federation of Public Service Unions leading work on health, social services, and occupational health and safety; Dr. Asha George, South African Research Chair in Health Systems, Complexity and Social Change and an internationally recognised expert on gender and health systems; Dr. Leonor Pais, Associate Professor at the University of Coimbra and Coordinator of the BRAVE-WOW project; and Dr. Nuno Rebelo dos Santos, Associate Professor at the University of Évora, whose work focuses on decent work, leadership, and organisational development, and who leads the BRAVE-WOW Work Package 2, centered around framework on gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work.
Sources:
- International Labour Organization. (2022). Experiences of violence and harassment at work: A global first survey. International Labour Organization. https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/wcmsp5/groups/public/%40dgreports/%40dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_863095.pdf
- Einarsen, S. V., Hoel, H., Zapf, D., & Cooper, C. L. (Eds.). (2020). Bullying and harassment in the workplace: Theory, research and practice (3rd ed.). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429462528
- Nyberg, A., Kecklund, G., Hanson, L. M. in Rajaleid, K. (2021). Workplace violence and health in human service industries: a systematic review of prospective and longitudinal studies. Occupational and environmental medicine, 78(2), 69–81. https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2020-106450