I was pleased to show my support for the GMB Union’s Employer Charter on Domestic Abuse this week to coincide with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls.

The GMB’s charter calls on employers to support workers experiencing domestic abuse; including through providing affected employees with access to confidential help and guidance, and ensuring that they are not disadvantaged in the workplace.

According to newly published data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) for the year ending March 2018, an estimated 2.0 million adults aged 16 to 59 years experienced domestic abuse in the last year (1.3 million women, 695,000 men).

This important GMB campaign is closely linked to Labour’s policy for companies to give paid leave to staff experiencing domestic abuse. As the union have rightly highlighted, for far too long workers have been told that domestic abuse is a personal issue, when in fact it seeps into workplace life. All too often, workers experiencing domestic abuse are subject to disciplinary action or job losses. We need employers to stand up for their workers and ensure there is safe working environment for everyone.