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In 2001, ILO established a broad-based technical cooperation programme, the Special Action Programme to combat forced labour, to spearhead ILO activities against forced labour, including trafficking, irregular migration and bonded labour, aimed at addressing all aspects of forced labour. Under this programme, projects have been implemented in Ghana, Nigeria, Brazil, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, the Russian Federation, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong SAR, and Nepal.

ILO’s Labour Standards Department, in cooperation with ILO’s field offices, provides technical advice on policy and legislation, and conducts training on sexual harassment legislation and policies for constituents. Recently work has been undertaken in this area in the Asian region, in particular Malaysia, China and Pakistan, as well as in the context of the annual training at the ILO training centre in Turin on international Labour standards and gender equality. ILO also implements technical cooperation projects on child labour, migration, trafficking and forced labour in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

In November 2013, the second Gender Academy, supported by ILO, UN Women and the European Commission, was held at the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ITC-ILO). The Academy examined policies and methods to respond to gender-based violence and risks at work. More information is available at: http://gender.itcilo.org/cms/ https://www.unwomen.org/lo/news/stories/2013/11/development-professionals-to-attend-ilo-gender-academy#sthash.4mn4Iy9X.dpuf In July 2013, ILO held a technical experts meeting for ILO constituents in Member States in the Pacific Islands sub-region on Gender and Decent Work which also addressed the topic of Ending violence against women in the Pacific. Other UN entities participated, including UN Women, UNDP, UNFPA, UNAIDS participated.

The ILO launched on March 2018 an Office-wide campaign to combat all forms of sexual harassment and misconduct within the ILO.  

A technical cooperation project, established by ILO, to address trafficking in human beings covering Albania, Moldova and the Ukraine provides social, economic and psychological support to victims of trafficking. IOM has one global assistance project targeting all developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America and over 120 counter-trafficking projects targeting over 100 countries in Africa, Asia, Central, Eastern and Western Europe, and Latin America. In 2005, IOM’s Working Group on Gender Issues at Headquarters supported and contributed funding for staffing a 24-hour hotline for victims of trafficking in South Africa.

The ILO Better Work programme has continued developing tools to prevent and address sexual harassment in garment factories following surveys with workers which revealed this issue being of significant concern. A factory kit with different awareness raising material directed to management, supervisors and garment workers has been developed and disseminated and piloting of factory-level training in has been conducted in Jordan. More information is available at: http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/features/WCMS_216898/lang--en/index.htm

An ILO programme, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), on Economic Empowerment and HIV Vulnerability Reduction along Transport Corridors in Southern Africa, reported that acceptance attitudes towards violence, through project interventions, such as education on gender equality, had significantly decreased. The project has a strong component on violence against women and focuses on building women’s economic resilience, business skills and related capacities.

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the ILO, in collaboration with the UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA, UN Women and the NGOs IBFAN-GIFA, launched the “Maternity Protection Resource Package. From Inspiration to Reality for All”. The package provides information, inspiration and tools to help organizations and individuals everywhere to strengthen and extend maternity protection to women in all types of economic activity. An ILO feature story on the issue of maternity-related discrimination at work was also published, available at: http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/features/WCMS_193975/lang--en/index.htm