Seventeen companies, recognized in November 2022 with a seal A safe company, free of violence against women, this Thursday demonstrated the progress, good practices and commitment they have made to generate positive change, reducing the high costs associated with violence against women and thereby improving their productivity. According to a study by GIZ, the German society for international cooperation, “the business costs of violence against women in Ecuador may reach up to 1.8 billion dollars per year due to this problem.”

In this sense, it is considered that the fight against this problem is a “good job”. And at the same time, as pointed out by Philipp Schauer, the ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, “joint work bears fruit and allows us to move towards a fairer and more equal society.”

The event, where Ecuadorian companies sought to present the impact of their work to prevent violence against women, was held at the Sheraton Hotel in Quito.

In addition, a joint campaign was presented during the event “We are companies that work to create safe spaces for women”an initiative designed to raise awareness of this problem, which affects about 7 out of every 10 women in Ecuador, according to INEC data from 2019.

The Safe Company seal not only recognizes, but also It also encourages companies that demonstrate significant efforts in promoting non-discrimination and zero tolerance towards violence against women.

Participating companies received recognition from the Chamber of Industry and Production (CIP), the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Investments and Fisheries and the Public Contracting Service, which has technical assistance from the program. PreViMujer of German cooperation, implemented by GIZ.

Andrea Aguayo, Human Resources Advisor at Produbanc, one of the participants, commented that in her company they are focused on working for the well-being of their co-workers. As part of the Safe Company initiative, a preventive protocol was developed in cases of discrimination and harassment in the workplace. In addition, channels have been created for men and women to seek emotional support in case they have problems at home. These initiatives, as well as other similar ones, enabled Produban to obtain a certificate.

Aguayo pointed out that another interesting initiative carried out by the company is the Protagonistas program, which has been in effect since 2018. It is a gender program in which conferences, workshops and mentorships are held for women. He explained that as of 2020 it is also open to men, but the general idea is to give employees the tools to fulfill their professional and personal dreams and goals. The name protagonisti, he said, was given because it is believed that a person can be put in the place of the protagonist or in the place of the victim, the idea is to put yourself on the side of the protagonist.

For Aguayo, being a safe company requires a conviction and interest in gender. In addition, adhere to a number of requirements such as fairness work, preventive protocols and not using sexist advertising.

During the event, María Paz Jervis, Executive President of the Chamber of Industry and Production (CIP), pointed out: “The impact of this initiative goes far beyond a mere stamp. Influence means that we will make things modern and that will be the category and desire of the business sector.”

Regarding work on the prevention of violence against women, Ambassador Schauer believes: “Working on it is not easy, it is multifaceted, it requires a strategy, a lot of effort in raising awareness and, as a first step, generating an understanding of the importance of this issue for society, for companies, for women and for everyone.”

Among the companies that are part of the group are: