Review and Analysis of Women's Economic Empowerment Policies and Programmes in India

Date: Wednesday, February 24, 2021

In 2010, UN Women and UN Global Compact Network developed the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs). Forged through an international multi-stakeholder consultative process, the WEPs provide a “gender lens” through which business can analyse current initiatives, benchmarks and reporting practices. Informed by real-life business practices, the Principles help companies tailor existing policies and practices – or establish needed new ones – to realize women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and communities.

ISSUE BRIEF: Understanding the Gender Composition and Experience of Ready-Made Garment (RMG) Workers in Bangladesh

Date: Friday, October 16, 2020

Bangladesh’s ready-made garment (RMG) sector is an important driver of economic growth.1 From an industry that generated a few million dollars in export earnings in the 1970s, it is now an industry of USD 30 billion (2017–2018)2 that accounts for 83 per cent of the country’s total export revenue. Women comprise the majority of the RMG workforce and it is clear that women workers have significantly contributed to the development of the RMG sector.

Voices of women from the ground - a brief on the challenges of women against COVID19

Date: Monday, May 11, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting nationwide restricted mobility is exacerbating the pre-existing social and economic inequalities, adding more layers of barriers, discrimination and threats for women in their homes and communities. The brief reflects the situation and voices of women and gender diverse people from the ground, constantly battling against these challenges.

Coordinated Quality Services for Ending Violence against Women Migrant Workers

Date: Wednesday, January 8, 2020

This policy brief is based on regional and national priorities and recommendations identified during the three-day “Regional Dialogue on Coordinated Quality Services for Ending Violence against Women Migrant Workers in ASEAN”, which took place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 10 to 12 July 2019. The meeting was hosted by the Safe and Fair Programme implemented by the ILO and UN Women, in collaboration with UNODC, under the Spotlight Initiative to Eliminate Violence Against Women and Girls, a global multi-year initiative between the European Union and the United Nations. The Safe and Fair programme delivers technical assistance and support to national and regional stakeholders with the overall objective of making labour migration safe and fair for all women in the ASEAN region.

16 Essentials for Quality Multisectoral Service Provision to Women Migrant Workers Subject to Violence

Date: Thursday, July 18, 2019

“Safe and Fair: Realizing women migrant workers’ rights and opportunities in the ASEAN region (2018-2022) ” is part of the multi-year EU-UN Spotlight Initiative to Eliminate Violence against Women and Girls. The programme is implemented by the ILO and UN Women, in collaboration with UNODC, and aims to reduce women migrant workers’ vulnerabilities to violence and trafficking and increase their access to coordinated and responsive quality services.

POLICY BRIEF: The rights of women migrant domestic workers | Gender-responsive employment contracts

Date: Friday, June 21, 2019

This document aims to inform Sri Lanka’s national policy on the protection of rights of women migrant domestic workers. Guided by normative commitments and international standards on gender equality and migrant labour rights, the document captures the concerns of a diverse set of stakeholders, including government officials, civil society representatives, and the most marginalized women migrant domestic workers.

Addressing women’s unpaid work in India: Informing policy and practice from a global South perspective

Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Since 2014, UN Women has played a significant role in convening diverse stakeholders to respond to and localize the emerging and new global paradigms on women’s unpaid work, with a special focus on Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A loose alliance called the Collective on Women’s Unpaid Work was formed to support the development of a common roadmap for policy and action, which included the recognition, reduction and redistribution of women’s unpaid work...

Empowering Women Migrant Workers from South Asia: Toolkit for Gender-Responsive Employment and Recruitment

Date: Tuesday, March 19, 2019

The Toolkit provides comprehensive guidance on ensuring the protection and promotion of the rights of women migrant workers throughout the labour migration cycle. The Toolkit includes a policy brief series that describes the process of establishing national, bilateral and regional policy protections. The Gender-responsive Guidance on Employment Contracts supports relevant stakeholders to ensure these policies and protections are reflected in employment contracts. The Gender-responsive Self-assessment Tool for Recruitment Agencies provides recruiters with information on how to protect and promote the rights of women migrant workers in practice, throughout the migration cycle....

Gender-responsive Guidance on Employment Contracts

Date: Monday, March 18, 2019

Domestic workers are often partially or fully excluded from national labour laws and related protections. The lack of comprehensive legal protection for domestic workers means employment contracts play a critical role in establishing protections of their rights. Without definitive legal principles to govern the employment relationship with their employers, domestic workers report working long hours without overtime payment, sufficient weekly rest or holidays. They may experience non-payment ...

Gender-responsive Self-Assessment Tool for Recruitment Agencies

Date: Monday, March 18, 2019

This self-assessment tool was developed to ensure employers, governments and recruitment agencies have policies, codes of conduct, systems and training in place that effectively meet the needs of women migrant workers. The tool was developed by UN Women, in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), building on research into the experiences and perspectives of migrant women, and on international human rights standards and commitments. The tool provides a practical...