The European Commission is developing these guidelines to support the largest multinational companies in implementing the new EU legislation. The guidelines will play an important role in shaping how human rights and environmental risks are identified, prevented, and addressed throughout global value chains. Ensuring attention to gender equality and women’s rights is essential in this process.
"Women continue to be disproportionately affected by labour exploitation, discrimination, violence, and exclusion in global value chains. If companies do not explicitly take these risks into account in their due diligence processes, serious abuses will remain invisible. The new guidelines provide an important opportunity to address these issues and help companies take meaningful action,” states Marjolein Quist, Programme Manager Gender & Sustainable Economy at WO=MEN.
WO=MEN emphasizes that effective due diligence is only possible when companies engage meaningfully with workers, trade unions, women’s rights organizations, and local civil society groups. The platform also calls for the collection of gender-disaggregated data, the protection of women human rights defenders and whistleblowers, and the safeguarding of civic space so that abuses can be reported safely. In addition, WO=MEN urges that companies need to address the root causes of human rights violations, for example through responsible purchasing practices and long-term relationships with suppliers.
Through this contribution, WO=MEN aims to ensure that the new European guidelines lead to greater gender equality, improved working conditions, and stronger protection of human rights worldwide.
Read WO=MEN’s full contribution to the consultation on the CSDDD guidelines here
