The City of Geneva is implementing a policy designed to prevent and combat sexual harassment and sexism at work

On 14 June, in line with its long-standing commitment in favour of gender equality, the City of Geneva launched a series of measures designed to prevent sexism and sexual harassment within the municipal administration. This policy will be implemented throughout the current legislature period with a view to ensuring a work environment where respect for each individual is guaranteed. 

Associated article

In the wake of the #metoo movement and the campaigns linked to the women’s strike movement, several surveys and testimonies have revealed that the professional world is one of the places in which women and gender minorities continue to be subject to different forms of violence and discrimination. The City of Geneva, which has made gender equality a political priority, wishes to commit to being an exemplary employer in terms of preventing sexism and sexual harassment. In an extension of its work combating gender-based violence and its "Zero sexism in my city" action plan, it has therefore set up an internal working group tasked with assessing the situation within the municipal administration, with its staff of more than 4,000 employees.

Going beyond the legal obligations

Based on the initial recommendations formulated by this working group, the Executive Council intends to be more proactive in this domain in line with its aim of promoting a healthy and inclusive work environment which ensures respect for each individual, as defined in its legislature programme. By doing so, it wishes to go beyond its legal obligations – since 1 November 2018, each member of the municipal staff can contact the “Confidence Group” of the State of Geneva confidentially in situations which represent personnel offence – and to develop additional prevention, information and accompaniment measures. 

A policy implemented throughout the legislature period  

It is against this backdrop that the Executive Council has decided to implement a determined policy designed to prevent and combat sexism and sexual harassment within the administration, reminding us that sexual harassment is not only strictly prohibited but also reprehensible. As stressed by Mr Alfonso Gomez, Executive Councillor responsible for equality issues, “Since 14 June 2019, the very visible mobilisation of women has made it possible to highlight the numerous cases of gender-based discrimination that still exist, together with the need to foster commitment at every level in order to make equality a fact of life in our country. This commitment means combating sexism, which often legitimises unacceptable behaviour, and adopting the principle of zero tolerance in terms of sexual harassment.”

The first element of this policy is founded on the deployment of an e-learning training course, developed by the State of Geneva in collaboration with the City, which is mandatory for all municipal staff. It will be implemented gradually within the administration, beginning with senior staff who have supervisory responsibilities. Other decisions taken by the Executive Council include, in particular, implementing accompaniment measures for managers in order to provide them with the necessary tools to prevent cases of sexual harassment and, where necessary, handle them appropriately, developing a training programme addressing sexual harassment and the prevention of discrimination at work, conducting two studies in order enjoy a more precise vision not only of the effectiveness of the existing mechanisms for handling cases of sexual harassment but also of the extent of the problem within the administration, and finally ensuring better information for all members of staff. 

At the same time, the Executive Council intends to continue to combat all forms of discrimination at work, be it sexism, homophobia or transphobia, in particular by pursuing the application of the regulations aimed at achieving gender equality within the municipal administration and the diversity charter.

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Article modifié le 16.05.2023 à 13:56