International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women

Saturday, 29 November 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

John Keells launches Project WAVE: Working Against Violence through Education

Ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November, the John Keells Group officially launched Project WAVE: Working Against Violence through Education the latest social responsibility initiative of the Group, which is planned and implemented via John Keells Foundation (JKF), the CSR arm of the John Keells Group. This initiative is deemed timely, considering the alarming increase of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and child abuse globally and in Sri Lanka. GBV takes different forms ranging from physical, psychological and sexual violence and in a majority of the cases it is women who are affected. According to a 2013 global review of available data, one in three women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence. Violence can result in physical, mental, sexual, reproductive health and other health problems, and may increase vulnerability to HIV. According to the Gender Based Violence Forum in Sri Lanka, rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment, sexual violence, forced prostitution and trafficking are the most prevalent types of violence against women in Sri Lanka. The forum further states that these crimes are not specific to a particular region or locality, but they are reported across class, race, religion, and ethnicity. Sri Lanka is also said to be fifth among countries that have a higher rate of domestic violence. Obtaining reliable data is difficult mainly because victims are reluctant to reveal such incidents due to social stigma. Meanwhile, according to statistics tabled in Parliament in November 2014, as of 31 August 2014, the National Child Protection Authority had received 6,973 complaints on child abuse including 324 cases of child rape, 320 cases of severe sexual assault and 320 of sexual harassment. These are only reported cases and it is known that a large number of incidents are unreported. Violence causes immediate consequences to survivors on physical, cognitive and psychological levels together with long-term consequences to their physical and mental health and development, which result in high costs for different sectors of the society including their workplace. JKF decided to espouse the cause of combatting the growing incidents of GBV and child abuse in Sri Lanka through an effective awareness creation model aligned to its focus area of health. Project WAVE is a long-term initiative designed to commence with the employees of the John Keells Group and thereafter to encompass various vulnerable communities associated with the Group’s business locations and the general public. The official launch of Project WAVE took place on 12 November 2014, at Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo, further to a series of successful pilot awareness sessions conducted to diverse groups of John Keells Head Office staff. Speaking at the launch, John Keells Holdings PLC Chairman Susantha Ratnayake expressed that further to the alarming increase in the cases reported in the news in the last couple of years, he, together with the members of the Board, felt that it is imperative that the Group takes action to educate both staff and the public on this grave issue. He said, “It’s something that we at John Keells have a zero tolerance for and we give leadership to take the message out to all our stakeholders and the community at large.” JKF Head of Operations Carmeline Jayasuriya explained the background to, structure and scope of Project WAVE and the roll out plan to the audience which included senior management of the Group including members of the Group Executive Committee, Group Operational Committee and business and functional heads, as well as invitees representing gender/child rights focal points of the ILO, UNICEF, WHO, Save the Children, EFC and UNDP. She explained that Project WAVE is the result of extensive research done by JKF in discussion with UN agencies such as the ILO, UNICEF and WHO and reputed NGOs such as CARE and Women In Need (WIN). She further noted the direct relevance of this initiative to the workplace, given that exposure to violence within and outside the workplace hinders the productivity of the worker, while potentially resulting in the discontinuation of the job and eventual withdrawal from the labour force. This in turn means lower income levels on a household level and lower female labour force participation on a national level. There is no doubt that economic development will be hindered for as long as GBV persists in society. The awareness sessions such as the one conducted at the launch of Project WAVE will be conducted by a resource pool of external consultants via a model similar to the one adopted by JKF for its highly successful HIV and AIDS Awareness Campaign (which has educated over 65,000 persons over eight years to Group Staff, corporates, the armed forces and even ex-combatant rehabilitees). The awareness sessions of Project WAVE include discussion on current and local issues and news items that the audience can relate to as well as an interactive Forum Theatre element. During the Forum Theatre segment, staff volunteers of the John Keells Group act out different scenarios of subtle verbal and sexual harassment which are common in the workplace, as well as a scenario of domestic violence. This segment is believed to be impactful when coupled with the presentations made by experienced trainers, as it enables the audience to get a better understanding of potential situations of GBV in the workplace and the domestic scenario. More information on all social responsibility projects and initiatives of JKF under the vision ‘Empowering the Nation for Tomorrow’, can be found on www.keells.com.