Survey done at three companies reveals over 20 percent of the staff experienced harassment

A survey done on 563 staff from three private companies in Fiji has revealed that over 20 percent of the women and men have experienced harassment at work.

Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Mereseini Vuniwaqa says this is according to a study done by the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank done.

She says the same study made findings on employees who have experienced domestic and sexual violence outside workplaces which translated into loss of staff time, reduced productivity that is equivalent to almost 10 days of loss of work per employee each year.

The Parliament has today ratified the International Labour Organisation Violence and Harassment Convention 2019.

Vuniwaqa says the benefits of this Convention is for all workers in Fiji particularly women and the ratification recognizes the right of everyone to be free from violence and harassment at workplaces including gender based violence.

She adds that 39 percent of Fijian women are now economically active and more women than men are graduating from Universities and are acquiring jobs in the formal sector.

Vuniwaqa says it is imperative that employers put in place harassment and violence at work policies with grievance procedures that are transparent, inclusive and user friendly.