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Violence against women transport workers and the ITF global women’s advocate programme

As we mark the start of 16 Days of Activism against violence against women, here are some go-to ITF resources on violence against women. 

A male-dominated transport industry

A film about women challenging male-dominated transport professions. The stories of three inspiring women in Morocco, Argentina, Poland and the Philippines, and narrated by Jasmin, a shipping captain from the Philippines. All four of them are challenging outdated perceptions that there are jobs for men and jobs for women. They are proving that it is time to end gender-based occupation segregation across the world of work.

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A podcast about ‘Boys and girls jobs’To mark International Women's Day 2020, the ITF has produced a podcast looking at the persistent problem of gender segregation in the transport industry. 

Films

Inspiring digital activism by women trade unionists during the Covid-19 pandemic: The film is an inspiring example of women trade unionists' digital activism  with limited resources and lack of/limited  accessible technology. This story of women transport workers in Rural Maharashtra, India captures the radical work that they are doing during the pandemic crisis, strategically organising and mobilising thousands of women workers using the WhatsApp platform for their union meetings, and to also build support for domestic violence  survivors that increased drastically during the pandemic. #ThisIsOurWorldToo​ #GenderEqualNewNormal​

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History of the ITF women’s advocate programme:  

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ITF women’s advocates in action (India)A film documenting the powerful achievements of women through the women’s global advocacy programme.  

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A journey of alliances and activism leading to the development of the Indian national study on domestic violence at work (2020): A film about the journey of the ground breaking, biggest known Indian national study on the issue of "Domestic violence and its impacts in the workplace" lead by Indian rail and road transport affiliates.

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Indian domestic violence survivors' voices: This is a film which tells real experiences of women transport workers in India; the domestic violence they faced and the impacts in their workplace. These experiences highlight the lifesaving benefits of women’s advocates in transport workplaces. Everyday millions of women are subjected to domestic violence, surviving emotional, economic, sexual, psychological and physical abuse yet society often still views this as a ‘private matter’ forcing women to suffer in silence. In India, between 2019 and 2020, women’s advocates in rail and road transport affiliates broke this silence, leading the biggest known study on the issue with 15,561 participants from the transport sector and other formal and informal sector workers, including educational institutions, health care workers, domestic workers, and construction workers.

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Indian domestic violence survivors' voices - Portuguese:

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Indian domestic violence survivors' voices - Spanish:

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Indian domestic violence survivors' voices - Tamil:

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Indian domestic violence survivors' voices - Nepalese:

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Podcasts

Covid-19 and women’s advocacyA special ITF podcast looking at the Covid-19 crisis has heard about the particular effects on working women.

Domestic violence in the light of Covid-19: In the latest episode of the ITF podcast, alongside our invited guests, we were discussing devastating spikes in the cases of domestic violence due to the special circumstances surrounding Covid-19.

Documents

Lindberg & Johnsson (2016) A photographic introduction of MSTKS women bus workers, India

Women’s advocacy in briefAs you begin to build alliances around women’s advocacy, it is important for you to feel comfortable talking about the goals of the programme and the role of women’s advocates. Here is some information, in brief, to guide you. 

Executive Summary of Indian national study on domestic violence at work (2020): This report provides an unprecedented view of how domestic violence impacts the working lives of women workers, within and beyond transport sectors in India.

Blog post

Blog post on perpetrator research: When workers are experiencing or engaging in violence at home, the impact is felt in the workplace. Historically, workplace policies on violence and harassment have been limited to workplace issues, however with global evidential studies and new policies, including ILO Convention 190 (on violence and harassment in the world of work), domestic violence is increasingly recognised as a workplace issue, as it impacts not only individuals and families, but also communities and society as a whole.

Infographics

Violence against women transport workers ‘silhouette quotes’