READOUT: Department of Labor welcomes labor, business, stakeholders to discuss elimination of gender-based violence, harassment at work

WASHINGTON – The Department of Labor welcomed leaders from the International Labor Organization and other international, federal, state and local government officials and stakeholders to the department’s Washington headquarters on June 18 for the first Women’s Bureau summit to discuss collective efforts to prevent and address gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work. 

Attended in-person and online by an audience of more than 350, “Gender-Based Violence and Harassment in Focus: A Summit to Create an Equitable World of Work” marked the first anniversary of the Biden-Harris administration’s release of the National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.  

Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su began the event with pre-recorded remarks and Women’s Bureau Director Wendy Chun-Hoon offered opening comments. 

“The resurgence of the #MeToo movement in 2017 raised to our collective consciousness about just how pervasive gender-based violence and harassment is in our communities, including in our places of work,” said Women’s Bureau Director Wendy Chun-Hoon. “Today’s summit will focus on the importance of identifying, responding to, and preventing gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work in order to create safe and healthy workplaces for all workers… But today’s Summit is just the beginning. We need widespread change in order to prevent and address gender-based violence and harassment in our places of work.” 

Panelists discussed how the National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence and principles from ILO Convention 190 can provide a framework for preventing and addressing gender-based violence and harassment in the U.S.; how gender-based violence and harassment is a safety and health issue; and how worker-led movements are key to helping to eliminate gender-based violence and harassment. 

The following federal representatives, policy experts and advocates spoke at the Summit: 

• Deputy Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Amanda Edens
• Deputy Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health James Frederick
• Associate Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Molly McCoy
• Department of Justice Office of Violence Against Women Director Rosie Hidalgo
• ILO Office for U.S. and Canada Director Amber Barth
• ILO Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Branch Chief Chidi King
• Canadian Department of Employment and Social Development Director Rakesh Patry
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Vice Chair Jocelyn Samuels
• Senior Advisor to the White House Gender Policy Council Catherine Powell
• Screen Actors Guild-AFTRA Executive Vice President Linda Powell
• Partner, Accelerate Strategies and former professional soccer player Mana Shim
• President and Founder of Justice for Migrant Women Mónica Ramírez

During the afternoon component of the summit, in-person attendees moved to breakout sessions for small group discussions about strategies and tactics to advance efforts to eliminate gender-based violence in the world of work. 

View the recording of “Gender-Based Violence and Harassment in Focus: A Summit to Create an Equitable World of Work.”