End violence against women!

Established by the United Nations to raise awareness and mobilise action, the Day also opens the global ‘16 Days of Activism’ campaign, running until UN Human Rights Day on 10 December.

This year’s campaign theme shines a spotlight on the rapid rise of digital violence against women and girls – from online harassment and stalking to image-based abuse and threats that too often spill into offline harm. CESI fully supports this focus, as digital spaces are now part of daily life and working life, and must be safe for everyone.

Despite progress in legislation and awareness, violence against women is still widespread. Also in Europe, women face violence at home, in public spaces, and in the workplace – including harassment by colleagues, superiors and third parties. The scale of the problem is also under-reported, often due to fear, stigma, or lack of trust in reporting mechanisms.

For CESI, this is not only a human-rights emergency but also a trade union issue. Violence and harassment destroy health, dignity, careers and economic independence. They undermine equality at work and in society, and they disproportionately affect workers in public services and care sectors who are frequently exposed to third-party aggression.

CESI has long advocated a zero-tolerance approach to gender-based violence. We call on European institutions and national governments to strengthen prevention, protection, prosecution, and support for survivors - both in private life and at work.

In recent years, this commitment has been reinforced through practical initiatives:

• Through the EU co-funded eQualPRO project, CESI and its member organisations are mapping the impact of EU gender-equality policies in Europe, identifying remaining gaps and developing trade-union demands to improve equality in workplaces.

• In May 2025, CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger also co-signed updated European multi-sectoral guidelines on third-party violence and harassment related to work, together with further European social partners. These guidelines provide a renewed framework to prevent violence from clients, patients, pupils, passengers and other third parties, and to ensure support and remedies for affected workers. They emphasise prevention through staffing, training, safe organisational practices and clear reporting procedures—measures that are also vital for tackling gender-based and digital forms of violence in today’s workplaces.

On this International Day, CESI urges: 

• EU and national decision-makers to fully implement and enforce existing laws and to close remaining legislative gaps, including on online and workplace violence.

• Employers to adopt robust workplace policies, risk assessments, training and victim-centred reporting systems.

• Social partners to negotiate and apply collective agreements that guarantee safe working environments and real protection from harassment and violence.

• Society as a whole to challenge the norms and behaviours that perpetuate violence, in physical and digital spaces alike.

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