"OneInThreeWomen", the first European network of companies engaged against gender-based violence under the management FACE

Today, seven CEOs from large companies sign a Commitment Charter against gender-based violence. “OneInThreeWomen” is the proportion of women who are victims of physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime. “OneInThreeWomen” is also the name of the network of companies created by the FACE Foundation and the Kering Foundation, joined by Korian and L’Oréal as ambassadors and by BNP Paribas, Carrefour, SNCF and Lagardère through the ELLE Foundation.

A hinder to human dignity and a public health issue, gender-based violence has serious consequences on the physical and mental health of victims. It disrupts their private life but it also has an impact on their professional lives. According to DV@work studies, victims of domestic violence are likely to receive lower wages, to change position more frequently, to have more precarious jobs and more restrained possibilities to go to work. A study of EIGE (European Institute for Gender Equality) published in 2014 showed that gender-based violence cost more than 226 billion euros every year in Europe, for private companies (loss of economic productivity due to absenteeism, loss of productivity or death), public services (medical, legal and social services) and victims (physical and emotional impact on victims) and that the cost of domestic violence is higher than 120 billion euros.

One year after the #METOO movement, the founding members of the “OneInThreeWomen” network are calling on other companies to join this movement to include this new topic in their CSR policy. The objective is to create and experiment measures to fight violence against women in order to effectively support victims amongst their employees, in cooperation with specialized organizations. Concrete actions will be implemented such as online and face-to-face trainings to better understand domestic violence and its impact on work, sensitization kits bound for companies (posters, useful numbers, recommendations, etc.), mobilization events, etc.

The network “OneInThreeWomen” is part of the European initiative CEASE, co-funded by the DG Justice of the European Commission and co-led by the Act Against Exclusion Foundation (FACE), Pour La Solidarité, DIESIS and CSR Hellas.

Through the signature of this European Charter, companies commit to:

• Understand what gender-based violence is and its reach, in figures and qualitative data,
• Raise awareness about gender-based violence in their own organization, among their peers and stakeholders and with the general public,
• Create an egalitarian culture within their organizations,
• Produce and/or implement policies, tools, trainings and processes for their HR services, management teams and all employees to respond to disclosure,
• Enable employees to openly talk and promote a supportive work environment for their co-workers who are survivors of violence,
• Provide access to organizations that can support employees that are victims of domestic violence,
• Develop a network of diverse stakeholders (private and public companies, NGOs, public institutions, unions) in order to work together on this topic,
• Measure the impact of the actions taken to support survivors of violence within their organizations and share it with their stakeholders.

They make up the OneInThreeWomen

«As a social innovation laboratory, it is crucial for the FACE Foundation to be involved in the fight to end violence against women and its impact in the workplace. We are proud to bring this cause alongside our corporate partners members of the “OneInThreeWomen” network and the European initiative CEASE.»
Gérard Mestrallet
Chairman of FACE

«I am proud of the creation of this coalition of companies, initiated by the Kering Foundation and the FACE Foundation. I am convinced that companies have a concrete role to play to fight violence against women, together.
Since 2008, the Kering Foundation has been raising awareness among its employees through trainings on domestic violence and its impact on the workplace.
It is our responsibility to make companies a safe and supportive place for women.»
François-Henri Pinault
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kering, Chairman of the Kering Foundation

«Respect and inclusion are values deeply embedded in L’Oréal’s culture. The fight against gender-based violence is an important topic in our society, and we are convinced that companies have a vital responsibility and role to play. As such we are strongly committed to this inter-company effort.»
Jean-Paul Agon
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of L’Oréal, Chairman of the L’Oréal Foundation

«For the Korian group, where 82% of the 50,000 employees are women, fighting violence against women is a top priority. We know that we, companies, can play a major role, through prevention and awareness, as well as by listening to and supporting victims. That’s why we have set up a network of social workers and psychologists as well as a confidential listening device open to all. By joining the Cease network, we want to contribute even more actively to raising awareness and mobilizing everyone against this plague.»
Sophie Boissard
Chier Executive Officer of Korian, Chairwoman of the Korian Foundation for Ageing Well

«BNP Paribas’ commitment to women goes back many years, in particular through several internal policies promoting gender equality. Playing a central role in society, we have the responsibility to raise awareness on violence against women, starting with our employees. The attention that movements such as #METOO have received over the past few months, has demonstrated how important it is for victims to be able to express themselves and to be heard. Facing the urgency of the situation, we cannot act alone and this is why we are committed alongside other companies through “OneInThreeWomen”».
Jean-Laurent Bonnafé
Director and Chief Executive Officer of BNP Paribas

Violence against women in Europe
According to a report of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) in 2014:

• One in three women has been a victim of physical and/or sexual violence, most of the time by a partner or ex-partner,
• More than one in five women (22%) knows someone at her current or previous place of work or study who has been a victim of intimate partner violence
• 18% of European women have already been harassed
• More than half of women in Europe (53%) avoid certain situations or places, for fear of being physically or sexually assaulted (such as empty public spaces for instance).
• Only 15% of the victims of violence reported the incident to the police.

Press contact

Astrid Wernert - +33 1 87 74 54 64 - astrid.wernert [at] bnpparibas (dot) com