Onet Brazil supports women victims of violence in their reintegration process
The situation of women in Brazil has seriously deteriorated with the health crisis. Domestic violence has increased as a result of the confinement measures. Onet Brazil wanted to commit to this cause by setting up a recruitment program designed to reintegrate these vulnerable women into working life. This initiative was launched with the support of three Brazilian associations.
Domestic violence has continued to worsen since the beginning of the pandemic. The 22% increase in recorded complaints is explained by the forced cohabitation with their aggressor spouses.
A rate that climbs to 50% in the megalopolis of Rio de Janeiro. Brazil is the fifth most affected country in the world by feminicide, according to the World Health Organization. This domestic violence is rampant in all social strata, including the most affluent (lawyers, advertisers …).
Aware of this issue from 2019, Onet Brazil has committed to concrete actions in 2020.
It's about helping women get out of the vicious circle of domestic violence. By offering jobs to these people, we help them break free from the family yoke by making them financially independent.
Far from taking the place of specialized associations, we can position ourselves as a resource, a place where people can talk and listen. We provide valuable assistance in supporting victims and linking them with the players in our territories.
Onet has joined forces with three associations based in São Paulo that are dedicated to taking into account and supporting women who are victims of domestic violence. Tem Saída, the Brazilian Women’s House and the Maria da Penha Institute offer specific services to victims to help them reintegrate into society.
Eight new hires in 2021 and more to come
The Tem Saída association develops a public policy aimed at financial autonomy by supporting the employability of women in situations of domestic and family violence.
It receives a list of job offers and selects the most suitable candidates sent by the Brazilian Women’s House. The latter association selects the women after a psychological evaluation process. “It ensures that these women are able to return to work,” says Julia.
The Brazilian Women’s House brings together in a single space various specialized services that deal with all the problems linked to these women’s broken lives: reception, psychological support, temporary housing, transportation, childcare, a toy library, collaboration with the police, the court specializing in domestic violence, and the Public Ministry.
Onet Brazil also works with the Maria da Penha Institute, a non-governmental organization, to raise awareness of this sensitive issue among the Group’s employees, and ensures that the integration of these women is carried out smoothly, while respecting their personal lives.
“We decided to act because gender issues are at the heart of the Group’s commitments, and Onet Brazil employs 4,100 women in Brazil, which is more than 58% of the workforce. Since the launch of this operation, eight cleaners have already been recruited and others are planned in the coming weeks. Our ambition is to integrate 10% of these women into our workforce. Informing and raising the awareness of all our employees is an essential first step in this commitment,” emphasizes Julia.
An action also supported in France
In France, during the first confinement in March 2020, the training center of the Olympique de Marseille (also called the Commanderie) welcomed in its building, unoccupied by young footballers, women victims of domestic violence.
Indeed, the Olympique de Marseille has made 44 beds available to the association SOS Femmes 13, the reference association in the Bouches-du-Rhône for the reception, the listening and the accommodation of abused women.
Some twenty women and children were therefore able to be housed in this center until the soccer season resumed. Onet, with the help of the Onet Foundation, wanted to contribute to this initiative and thus took charge of the hygiene and cleaning services for the families.