Report on Gender-Based Violence in Global Supply Chains and its Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

Current Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) audit frameworks, despite significant financial investment, systematically fail to address gender-based violence (GbV) within global supply chains. This oversight represents a critical failure in corporate due diligence and actively undermines progress toward several key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). This report analyzes the prevalence of GbV, highlights its impact through case studies, and provides actionable recommendations for corporations to align their practices with global sustainability and human rights standards.

The Disconnect Between ESG Audits and Worker Safety

Failure to Address Gender Equality (SDG 5)

Despite corporate spending on ESG audits reaching nearly $38 billion in 2023, these assessments rarely include specific indicators to detect or prevent GbV. This omission renders corporate commitments to ethical sourcing incomplete and directly contravenes the objectives of SDG 5, which calls for the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls. Incidents of harassment and abuse, such as the case of a 19-year-old garment worker in Bangladesh, are frequently overlooked by compliance audits that focus on more traditional metrics like wages and child labor, thereby perpetuating unsafe environments for female workers.

Violation of Decent Work Principles (SDG 8)

GbV constitutes a severe violation of labor rights and compromises the creation of safe and secure working environments, a core target of SDG 8. The violence takes many forms, undermining the principle of decent work for all.

• Verbal and sexual harassment
• Coercion in exchange for job security
• Retaliation against those who report abuse
• Impact of domestic violence on work performance

These abuses are rampant across various sectors, from garment factories in Asia to agricultural fields in India and warehouses in the United States, disproportionately affecting marginalized groups and hindering inclusive economic growth as envisioned by SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

Case Studies: GbV as a Barrier to Sustainable Development

Health and Well-being in India (SDG 3)

In India’s sugarcane industry, female migrant workers are reportedly undergoing hysterectomies to eliminate menstruation and pregnancy, which could result in lost wages. With local rates as high as 36% compared to a national average of 3%, this practice is a form of industrialized abuse that severely compromises women’s health and well-being, directly conflicting with the targets of SDG 3.

Labor Rights in Lesotho (SDG 8)

In Lesotho, female workers in factories supplying major global apparel brands have reported widespread sexual coercion by supervisors. The lack of effective, trusted grievance mechanisms meant the abuse continued despite the factories passing multiple social compliance audits. This systemic failure to protect labor rights highlights a profound gap in corporate oversight and a direct impediment to achieving SDG 8.8, which aims to protect all workers, especially women migrants and those in precarious employment.

Recommendations for Aligning Corporate Action with the SDGs

Integrating GbV into Corporate Frameworks

To credibly contribute to the SDGs, companies must move beyond superficial audits and treat GbV as a core business and human rights issue. Addressing GbV is essential for building resilient and ethical supply chains that support, rather than undermine, sustainable development.

1. Enhance ESG and Audit Protocols: Incorporate specific GbV indicators into all audit frameworks. Minimum criteria should include assessments of harassment, assault, and the accessibility of reporting channels, aligning with SDG 5 and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).
2. Invest in Gender-Sensitive Grievance Mechanisms: Establish reporting systems that are anonymous, multilingual, trauma-informed, and accessible to all workers, thereby creating accountability and access to justice.
3. Mandate Comprehensive Training: Train supervisors, auditors, and human resources staff in gender sensitivity, power dynamics, and psychological safety to foster a workplace culture that prevents violence and supports victims.
4. Empower Grassroots Organizations: Fund and collaborate with survivor-led and local organizations that possess the trust and contextual knowledge to design effective, community-based solutions.

Conclusion: The Imperative for Responsible Production (SDG 12)

The persistence of GbV in supply chains taints products labeled “ethically made” and exposes a fundamental flaw in current models of responsible production and consumption (SDG 12). Just as forced labor was eventually integrated into corporate due diligence, GbV must now be recognized as an interconnected and equally severe abuse. True ethical sourcing is impossible if it ignores the safety and dignity of more than half the workforce. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals requires a paradigm shift where corporations actively work to eradicate gender-based violence, ensuring that supply chains are not only efficient but also just and humane.

Analysis of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article highlights issues of gender-based violence (GbV), unsafe working conditions, and corporate accountability in global supply chains, which directly connect to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These include:

• SDG 5: Gender Equality: This is the central theme of the article. It focuses on eliminating all forms of violence and discrimination against women in the workplace, from harassment in Bangladeshi garment factories to systemic abuse in Indian sugarcane fields.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The article critiques the lack of “decent work” by exposing unsafe and exploitative labor conditions. It discusses how fear, coercion, and violence undermine the safety and security of workers, particularly women.
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The article explicitly mentions “physical, sexual, or psychological harm” resulting from GbV. The example of women in India undergoing “routine hysterectomies” to maintain their jobs is a severe health and well-being issue driven by economic coercion.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The text states that GbV “disproportionately affects women of color, migrants, informal workers, and gender minorities,” directly addressing the goal of reducing inequalities by highlighting how specific groups are more vulnerable to abuse.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production: The article challenges the credibility of “ethically made” labels and corporate ESG audits that ignore GbV. It calls for companies to adopt genuinely sustainable and responsible production practices that ensure worker safety.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The article points to a failure of justice and institutional mechanisms. The opening example from Bangladesh notes, “There was no investigation. No grievance mechanism,” illustrating a lack of access to justice for victims of workplace abuse.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the issues discussed, several specific SDG targets are relevant:

1. Target 5.2: “Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.” The article’s entire focus is on this target, detailing GbV in workplaces like garment factories and farms, which it describes as “verbal harassment, sexual coercion, retaliation for speaking up, or domestic violence that affects a worker’s attendance or performance.”
2. Target 8.8: “Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment.” The article directly addresses the failure to meet this target by describing unsafe environments in Bangladesh, Lesotho, India, the U.S., and the Gulf, specifically mentioning “migrant worker camps” and the “informal waste-picking sector.”
3. Target 5.1: “End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.” The systemic nature of GbV described, where women are coerced into hysterectomies or must exchange sex for job security, is a profound form of gender-based discrimination in the economic sphere.
4. Target 12.6: “Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle.” The article critiques current ESG audits and calls for companies to “add GbV indicators to ESG and audit frameworks,” directly pushing for more comprehensive and meaningful sustainable practices.
5. Target 16.3: “Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.” The lack of “anonymous reporting channels,” investigations, and effective grievance mechanisms described in the article demonstrates a clear failure to provide access to justice for working women.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article both critiques the lack of existing indicators and proposes new ones that could be used to measure progress.

• Proposed Direct Indicators: The author explicitly suggests what companies must do, which can be framed as indicators for corporate accountability.
  • Inclusion of GbV in Audits: An indicator would be the percentage of corporate ESG and audit frameworks that include specific questions about “harassment, assault, and accessible reporting channels.”
  • Availability of Grievance Mechanisms: Progress could be measured by the number or percentage of factories/workplaces that have “gender-sensitive grievance mechanisms that are anonymous, multilingual, and trauma-informed.”
  • Training on Gender Sensitivity: An indicator would be the number of “supervisors and audit teams” who have been “trained in gender sensitivity, power dynamics, and psychological safety.”
• Implied Problem Indicators: The article uses specific data points to illustrate the scale of the problem, which can serve as indicators of GbV prevalence.
  • Rates of Medical Procedures Linked to Economic Coercion: The article cites that “local surveys found hysterectomy rates as high as 36 percent, compared to a national average of 3 percent” in India’s sugarcane fields. This disparity is a powerful indicator of “industrialized abuse.”
  • Worker Turnover and Absenteeism: The author notes that GbV leads to “rising turnover and fractured teams to stalled production and workers quietly disappearing from the system.” Tracking unexplained or high rates of turnover among female workers could be an indirect indicator of an unsafe environment.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: womensenews.org