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The National centre for women rights in Paris is co-organizing with its partners a Conference in the City Council of Paris on the 30th of October 2007 for "the fight against gender and sexual orientation based discriminations in the workplace".
WHY?
It is a fundamental right to live, work and love in accordance with your true identity. (UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
There will not be a change towards openness and mutual respect unless awareness is raised by strategic work on every level of society.
The responsibility to raise the issue lies not only with individuals, but also with employers, trade unions, policy makers and political institutions.
ISSUES AND DIFFICULTIES
Gays, lesbians and bisexuals are often made invisible in the workplace – either by their own choice as a safety precaution or because their colleagues do not want to recognize this reality.
The results of this invisibility include employees that do not feel that they fit in at work and a workplace that is not the best that it can be…
THE EQUAL PROJECT DELEDIOS
- A Pioneering Project
1st time in France such a project is carried out
- A Project with Visibility
communication program set up
- A Project for the Business World
OBJECTIVES
1. Developing tools together with a pilot group of companies to increase awareness of homophobia in the workplace and the ways in which it can be avoid
2. Identify practices in association with policies dealing with equal opportunities aimed at heading off the existence of homophobia & lesbophobia in the workplace
3. Raising awareness of the existence of homophobia in the workplace and its impact on the company & its employees
ACTIVITIES AND RESULTS THAT WILL BE PRESENTED AT THE CONFERENCE
1 report about legislation,
Survey raised through 1000 employers & 1000 employees about discriminations based on sexual orientation in 2007
Researches
1. To identify the links between the discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation & the mechanics of discrimination between men & women
2. To focus on the double discrimination suffered by lesbians
Communication activities
1 DVD of short film sequences describing discriminations in the workplace
1 small informative booklet
1 leaflet about the legislation exisiting
4 short films of senzitisation for the public diffused on the Web
2 conferences with 200 stakeholders participating each time
RESULTS EXPECTED IN 2008
- Awareness of the employers through the DVD and informative “breakfast meetings” with human resource managers, recruitment offices and temping agencies…
- The implementation of a discrimination barometer based on sexual orientation that should be used by trade unions after the end of the project
- Awareness of the public through films of sensitization on the Web
- Reports of the 3 researches
THE NATIONAL PARTNERS
The CNIDFF (French Association for Family and Women’s Rights) is the lead partner. The CNIDFF fight against gender-based discrimination and develop ongoing programs aimed at securing equality between men and women both in France and on an international level
Arborus is an association aimed at promoting the role of women in the decision-making process. Arborus originated the European Observatory of Professional Equality and Diversity to which the French Ministry of Equality and Parity has given the task of drawing up a National Equality Charter and Label.
The ANDRH (French National Association of Personnel Directors and Managers). The ANDRH tackles common human relations problems encountered in the workplace from a professional viewpoint aimed at being of service and contributing to the advancement of the Human Resource Management function in the workplace
L’Autre Cercle is an association of homosexual professionals working in both the public and the private sectors. Its members are men and women with a social conscience who work together to fight against discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation and who strive to ensure the respect of all forms of diversity
THE TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION
THE PARTNERS
• Partnership for Equality in SLOVENIA,
• Open and safe at work in LITHUANIA,
• Beneath the surface in SWEDEN
OBJECTIVES
The common interest is to abolish discrimination and the inequality of lesbian, gay and bisexual persons in the area of employment and enabling LGBT persons to work under circumstances that are equal to their colleagues.
All of the projects have focused on the situation in working life, with the overall objective to create a society where everyone is accepted and respected regardless of their sexual orientation.
ACTIVITIES
Research cooperation: How heteronormativity is constructed at work? The aim is to develop methodological and analytical tools applicable on how to find, produce and analyse data for studies of heteronormativity in schools and working life.
Communication and policymaking : to raise awareness and make sustainable changes in discriminatory structures in society and among social partners.
Sustainable communication between similar organisations and institutions in the partnership countries in order to make sure that key actors can benefit from good practices, methods and policies developed and used in other countries.
RESULTS
2 books
«Open up your workplace : challenging homophobia and heteronormativity »
« Norms at work : challenging homophobia and heteronormativity »
1 DVD
“What lies beneath the surface ?”
It contains short film sequences, discussion questions and other material that can be used to make school environment where everyone is met with respect, regardless of their sexual orientation.
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