From Business Fights Poverty - GBV affects employees physical and mental health and well-being, leading to stress, anxiety, loss of self-esteem and motivation. Often women are forced to leave their jobs. It contributes to the gender pay gap and seriously affects women’s opportunities for advancement and career progression. Women usually bear the brunt of GBV, although others are at risk, including men and members of the LGBTQI community.

The costs of GBV are high, with estimates totalling $1.5 trillion, the equivalent of 2% of global GDP. The #MeToo movement has shown there is an unprecedented demand for change, including from employees and some business leaders across the world. Companies are beginning to innovate to tackle GBV. More firms must now follow.

Yet, many companies remain unclear on how to address the problem. That’s why we agreed to partner to better understand how businesses can most effectively address GBV. The Toolkit includes a 5-step framework to help companies comprehensively tackle violence and harassment at work: 1. PREVENT violence and harassment by identifying potential risks; 2. COMMIT to gender equality and diversity across the workplace; 3. PROTECT employees with supportive policies and procedures; 4. COLLABORATE AND CAMPAIGN beyond the immediate workplace; 5. BE ACCOUNTABLE and monitor action.

From Criterion Institute & UNICEF - The purpose of this tool is to equip investors to understand the risk their investments are exposed to as a result of gender-based violence. This tool enables investors to determine how their existing due diligence process can be used to determine a potential investment’s exposure to the political, regulatory, operational, and reputational risks of gender-based violence. This tool is one component of a broader global effort to ensure the right to live free of violence.

From Criterion Institute and Tiedemann Advisors. Tiedemann Advisors and Criterion Institute have developed a detailed guide on how investors can start moving capital in alignment with ending gender-based violence. Their hope is to bring greater awareness to the issue of gender-based violence; inviting more people within the financial services community into that fold to help accomplish systemic change.

From Xoco Unlimited. This toolkit presents the impact of the pandemic on women by evaluating the relationship of employment, healthcare, and digital literacy to gender-based violence (GBV).

From Bloomberg. Advisers are adding guarantees to certain merger agreements in light of the sexual misconduct scandals that have enveloped the producer Harvey Weinstein and other high-profile businessmen -- ones that legally vouch for the behavior of a company’s leadership.

The development is a concrete example of how business is trying to adapt to the #MeToo era, at least in terms of legal liability. The move is particularly noteworthy given its source: the male-dominated world of M&A advisory where the terms of an offer can make or break a bid.

From the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Gender equality and equity are matters of fundamental human rights and social justice - and prerequisite for fully realizing environmental goals. This Resource Center supports the goals and delivery of numerous projects focused on advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment throughout natural resource management activities. Housing knowledge platforms and information hubs for specific gender and environment partnerships led by IUCN, this site is possible thanks to the generous support of USAID, SIDA and other partners.

From Criterion Institute. There is a documented correlation between levels of violence against women and state instability. In fact, the level of violence against women in a given country is said to be a better predictor of peace, compliance with treaty obligations, and relations with neighboring countries than indicators measuring levels of wealth or democracy. Yet the methodologies currently used to measure political risk—which guide investors, corporations, insurers, and governments in assessing conditions that may impact the profitability of investments in a particular country—do not include indicators measuring violence against women. This is despite the fact that these same methodologies account for riots, terrorism, civil war, and other types of violence.

From the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and CDC Group. This note outlines emerging practices in addressing gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) in operations and investments. These practices are drawn from recent experience in the private sector, as well as a larger body of work from the non-profit sector. The guidance provides an opportunity to engage with stakeholders to refine practices as those in the private sector collectively gain implementation experience.

In addition to this note, sector-specific briefs provide targeted guidance on addressing GBVH risks in key sectors, including transport, construction and manufacturing.