19/12/2018
The Business Against Domestic Violence Project implemented by the Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum became the only Turkish entrant among the UN Population Fund's Champions for Activism against Gender-Based Violence.
The Business Against Domestic Violence Project implemented by the Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum in association with TÜSİAD, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Sabancı Foundation was named one of the 16 champions against gender-based violence in their respective countries by their own means. The project aims to provide companies with tools that they may utilize to encourage their employees to act against domestic violence.
Business Against Domestic Violence was the only Turkish project on the list. Other entrants were Tunisia, Peru (2 projects), Ecuador, Palestine, Vietnam, Indonesia, Ukraine, Philippines (2 projects), Tanzania, Bangladesh, India, Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia. Corporate Governance Forum Women's Empowerment Projects Manager Sevda Alkan was among the 16 leaders honored by UNFPA.
Business Against Domestic Violence Project Manager Sevda Alkan said, "Many people are not aware of the different forms of domestic violence, and the means of support available to them. People think that a woman with a university degree and economic independence would not be subjected to domestic violence. This is not true. I recommend everyone to find out the truth about domestic violence and share what they find out across all media."
Meanwhile, Corporate Governance Forum Director Melsa Ararat commented, “The success of this project shows the importance of participatory and action-inducing research. I believe that universities should prioritize research that will provide input to the contribution of businesses to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and lay the groundwork for partnerships between businesses and academic institutions."
About the Project
The "Business Against Domestic Violence" (BADV) Project was designed by the Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum in 2013 to disseminate the best practices, tools and methods for reducing domestic violence by creating support structures for employees who are subjected to domestic violence in the hands of their partners, and by leveraging the administrative and organizational capabilities of businesses. In 2014, questionnaires were sent to 20 companies to survey employee awareness of domestic violence and the prevalence of domestic violence in the employee base. According to results, 75% of white-collar women with a university degree were victims of one of the forms of domestic violence at least once, and that 40% of women were victims of psychological or emotional violence, 35% of social violence, 17% of economic violence, and 8% of physical violence. Based on these results, the "Business Against Domestic Violence Policy Development and Implementation Guide" was developed in the second phase of the project in 2015 to support businesses in creating domestic violence policies and establishing solution mechanisms to mitigate an issue that negatively impacts the workplace and the active participation of women in the workforce. Between 2016 and 2018, 51 companies, most of which were TÜSİAD members, implemented their own domestic violence policies using the Guide.
