Sexual harassment in the workplace remains a significant issue, particularly in the garment and textile industries. Recognizing the detrimental effects of such behavior, CARE Ethiopia has initiated a targeted intervention through the STOP Program, which has shown success in the pilot companies. The current initiative, supported by GIZ, aims to create a Safe Work Environment, cultivate a community that actively opposes harassment, and ensure that all remaining companies in HIP adopt the Anti-Sexual Harassment Policy. To achieve this goal, the following activities have been executed:
- Engaged legal advisors to assess the feasibility of implementing the anti-sexual harassment policy across various organizational structures within HIP.
- Gained insights into legal frameworks and compliance requirements, ensuring alignment with national laws and international standards.
- Conducted outreach to individual companies to gather feedback on the policy, enhancing understanding of its significance among employees and management.
- Collected valuable input to customize the policy, leading to greater acceptance among manufacturers.
- Organized workshops and training sessions to engage relevant management stakeholders by outsourcing trainers from Care Ethiopia.
- Facilitated discussions within companies to finalize the adoption of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Policy.
- Organized launching event to officially mark the companies at HIP Adopt the anti-sexual harassment
- Produced six radio spots in Amharic and Sidamanga, airing on HIP community radio for the next four months.
- Published and distributed 14 anti-sexual harassment banners to factories.
- Established a monitoring framework to evaluate the effectiveness of the policy implementation.
- Conducted follow-up surveys to assess changes in workplace culture and employee perceptions.
Contribution: Factories have begun incorporating anti-sexual harassment policies into their HR guidelines and practices. As a result, workers are now experiencing a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment, with measures implemented to ensure a safe working environment for women.
