African Women on Board (AWB) launched a Safety in the Workplace Initiative

by Team Iamsafeatwork

05-06-2023

Safety

Creating a safe and inclusive workplace environment is essential for the well-being and productivity of all employees. However, the issue of women’s safety in the workplace has garnered significant attention in recent years. Countless stories of harassment, discrimination, and assault have shed light on the challenges women face while striving for professional success.

On November 2021, The “Safety in the Workplace initiative” is being launched by African Women on Board (AWB), an independent Nigerian non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the lives of African women and girls worldwide. The group has announced the beginning of the “Safety in the Workplace initiative” to safeguard women against harassment and abuse they may experience at work. To advance women’s leadership and effect institutional change, the AWB Safety in the Workplace project has chosen the legal sector as its first major area of attention. This is because it both presents an immediate concern and a potential solution It is a three-year project that aims to promote workplace systemic change and transform workplace cultures so that they promote female professional development and progress rather than harassment and violence. The organisation would support a solution through the legal sector under this project, which presents a difficulty and a potential answer for African women and girls who are employed abroad. The firm reports that Research from the International Bar Association (IBA) has shown that one in three female legal professionals are being subject to abuse during their careers. AWB Safety in the Workplace initiative has chosen the legal sector as its first main area of focus, because it simultaneously presents an immediate challenge and a potential solution in advancing women’s leadership to achieve institutional change.

Along with these, in December 2021, the organization also announced gender equity certification programme, under which assessments, recommendations, and training to help organisations and HR/employment practitioners to implement safer working environments for the employees would be provided to the organization and companies employing African women’s and following the norms and standards. Ensuring women’s safety at the workplace is not just a legal or ethical obligation but a crucial step towards creating a progressive and equitable society. Organizations must recognize the importance of fostering a culture of respect, inclusion, and gender equality. By implementing legally enforceable strong policies, providing education and resources, and nurturing supportive leadership, workplaces can transform into empowering spaces where women thrive, contribute, and fulfil their potential. In collaboration with their partners, the company conduct research, develop initiatives, and create programs geared towards advancing the role of African women within a global society by impacting people, policies, and practice.

About African Women on Board (AWB)

African Women on Board (AWB) is a non-profit organisation whose mission is to reshape the future for African women and girls around the world by amplifying their voices and accelerating their ascent into positions of leadership in the present and the future. The organisation expanding network is made up of women from all over the continent and the worldwide diaspora who want to lead their organisations, communities, and governments as well as those who want to assist the next generation of African women and girls. The organization’s mission is to encourage African female empowerment, elevate African female voices, and work towards the creation of a society where African women and girls of all socioeconomic strata, especially those in the diaspora, have access to the tools and resources they need to reach their full potential.