The first attempt to survey the extent of violence and harassment at work around the globe has found that workplace abuse is widespread, and particularly pronounced among young people, migrants, and wage earners, especially women.
More than 22% of the nearly 75,000 workers in 121 countries surveyed last year reported having experienced at least one type of violence or harassment, according to the report released Monday by the U.N. International Labor Organization, the Lloyd’s Register Foundation and Gallup.
“Violence and harassment in the world of work is a pervasive and harmful phenomenon, with profound and costly effects ranging from severe physical and mental health consequences to lost earnings and destroyed career paths to economic losses for workplaces and societies,” the three organizations said in the 56-page report.
According to the findings, one-third of the people who experienced violence or harassment at work said they had experienced more than one form — and 6.3% said they had faced all three forms: physical, psychological, and sexual violence and harassment during their working life.
Psychological violence and harassment was the most common form, reported by both men and women, with 17.9% of workers experiencing it at some point during their employment, the report said.
Some 8.5% of those surveyed said they experienced physical violence and harassment at work, with men more likely than women, the report said, and some 6.3% experienced sexual violence and harassment, 8.2% of them women and 5% of them men.
More than 60% of the victims of violence and harassment at work “said it has happened to them multiple times, and for the majority of them, the last incident took place within the last five years,” according to the report.
The research also found that people who experienced discrimination at some point in their life based on gender, disability status, nationality, ethnicity, skin color or religion were more likely to experience violence or harassment at work than those who didn’t face such discrimination.
The three organizations said “statistics on violence and harassment in the world of work are sporadic and scarce” so the ILO joined forces with Lloyd’s and Gallup to carry out “the first global exploratory exercise to measure people’s own experiences.” The survey used data from the 2021 Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll, which was part of the Gallup World Poll.
The results pave the way for further research, the organizations said.
“Ultimately, stronger evidence will help forge more effective legislation, policies and practices that promote prevention measures, tackle specific risk factions and root causes, and ensure that victims are not left alone in handling these unacceptable occurrences,” the ILO, Lloyd’s and Gallup said.
—Edith M. Lederer, The Associated Press
Jaribio la kwanza la kuchunguza kiwango cha vurugu na unyanyasaji kazini ulimwenguni kote limegundua kuwa unyanyasaji kazini ni wa kawaida, na ni dhahiri hasa miongoni mwa vijana, wahamiaji na wafanyikazi, hasa wanawake. Zaidi ya asilimia 22 ya wafanyakazi 75,000 katika nchi 121 waliochunguzwa mwaka jana waliripoti kuwa wamepatwa na aina moja au zaidi ya unyanyasaji, kulingana na ripoti iliyotolewa Jumatatu na Shirika la Kazi la Kimataifa la Umoja wa Mataifa, Lloyds Register Foundation na Gallup. "Ukatili na unyanyasaji katika ulimwengu wa kazi ni jambo la kawaida na lenye madhara, na athari kubwa na za gharama kubwa kuanzia athari mbaya za afya ya mwili na akili hadi mapato yaliyopotea na njia za kazi zilizoharibiwa hadi hasara za kiuchumi kwa mahali pa kazi na jamii,"" shirika hilo la tatu lilisema katika ripoti ya kurasa 56." Kulingana na matokeo, theluthi moja ya watu ambao wamepitia vurugu au unyanyasaji kazini walisema wamepitia aina zaidi ya moja na 6.3% walisema wamekabiliwa na aina zote tatu: unyanyasaji wa kimwili, kisaikolojia na kijinsia na unyanyasaji wakati wa maisha yao ya kazi. Ukatili wa kisaikolojia na unyanyasaji wa kisaikolojia ni aina ya kawaida, iliyoripotiwa na wanaume na wanawake, na 17.9% ya wafanyakazi waliopata wakati fulani wakati wa kazi yao. Takriban asilimia 8.5% ya waliohojiwa walisema wamekabiliwa na unyanyasaji wa kimwili kazini, na wanaume wana uwezekano mkubwa zaidi kuliko wanawake, na asilimia 6.3% wamekabiliwa na unyanyasaji wa kingono na unyanyasaji, asilimia 8.2% ya wanawake na asilimia 5 ya wanaume. Zaidi ya asilimia 60 ya waathirika wa unyanyasaji kazini wanasema wamepatwa na unyanyasaji huo mara kadhaa na kwa wengi wao tukio hilo la mwisho lilitokea katika miaka mitano iliyopita. Utafiti huo pia uligundua kuwa watu ambao walipata ubaguzi wakati fulani katika maisha yao kulingana na jinsia, hali ya ulemavu, utaifa, ukabila, rangi ya ngozi au dini walikuwa na uwezekano mkubwa wa kupata vurugu au unyanyasaji kazini kuliko wale ambao hawakukabili ubaguzi kama huo. "Kama ilivyoelezwa, ""takwimu za unyanyasaji na unyanyasaji katika ulimwengu wa kazi ni za mara kwa mara na ni chache,"" ILO ilijiunga na Lloyds na Gallup kufanya ""majaribio ya kwanza ya kimataifa ya kupima uzoefu wa watu wenyewe.""" Matokeo hayo yanafungua njia ya utafiti zaidi, mashirika hayo yalisema. "Mwishowe, ushahidi wenye nguvu utasaidia kutengeneza sheria, sera na mazoea yenye ufanisi zaidi ambayo yanakuza hatua za kuzuia, kushughulikia vikundi maalum vya hatari na sababu za msingi, na kuhakikisha kwamba waathirika hawaachwi peke yao katika kushughulikia matukio haya yasiyokubalika, ""ILO, Lloyds na Gallup walisema." <unk>Edith M. Lederer, The Associated Press