Select Gender-Based Violence Literature Reviews: Violence Against Women and Informal Employment

The review finds that women in the informal sector face multidimensional obstacles that prevent access to decent work, including unpaid childcare and domestic work, discriminatory social and cultural norms, and limited opportunities for education and skills development. Women in the informal sector are often employed in the most vulnerable categories of work, the least secure and lowest-paying occupations, while men dominate in the more protected and remunerative jobs. The review highlights the need for laws and regulations to protect women from violence in the workplace, as well as social awareness campaigns and interventions to empower women and improve public services. The International Labour Organization (ILO) defines informal work as a heterogeneous category that includes self-employed persons and wage workers without legal and social protection. The most vulnerable informal work category is non-paid family work, which may include work in family businesses or on farms. Authorities often disregard the abuse of informal workers and may even be perpetrators of violence. The ILO's expanded definition of informal work includes various conditions that create vulnerabilities for informal sector women, such as working uncovered or unprotected by labor law and social protection, unsocial working hours, working in relative isolation or in remote locations, and high rates of unemployment. The review emphasizes the need for collective action and informal worker representation to address work conditions and improve public services. The ILO has set global standards for countries to address violence against women in the workplace, and international human rights treaties have contributed to gender equality advocacy efforts. However, data on the prevalence of violence against women in the informal sector is scarce, and more research is needed to assess the impact of these advances. The review highlights the need for a multifaceted approach to address violence against women in the informal sector, including laws and regulations, social awareness campaigns, and improved public services.