Protecting Workers, Protecting Markets: GBV prevention must be a business priority

A joint op-ed by United Nations Global Compact Network Kenya, IDH, International Finance Corporation, and UN Women Kenya

Kenya’s private sector can no longer treat gender-based violence (GBV) as a peripheral concern. It is a strategic business risk that weakens productivity, disrupts supply chains, and undermines national competitiveness. As public concern around GBV and femicide intensifies, companies across agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, and food processing face a defining moment. The question is no longer whether GBV affects business, but whether business will lead the response.

Recent engagements among our organizations have underscored a simple truth. Kenya can build workplaces that are safe and inclusive if business leaders choose to act boldly, invest in prevention, and embed accountability at every level.

GBV is not a women’s issue. It is a systemic business risk. In agriculture, GBV undermines productivity and stability, costing the global economy an estimated $1.5 trillion annually. IDH’s evidence makes this concrete. Through the Women’s Safety Accelerator Fund (WSAF), we found that workplaces where 30 percent of women experienced GBV lost around €16,000 in annual productivity, rising to €47,000 in estates with widespread harassment, the equivalent of up to 7 percent of annual revenue. In Kenya’s export sectors, this is financial leakage that weakens competitiveness.

The upside is equally clear. Companies that introduced structured safeguarding systems saw productivity losses fall by up to 71 percent, alongside reduced absenteeism and more stable workflow. GBV prevention is not charity. It is risk mitigation, workforce stability, and market resilience. Safe workplaces deliver consistent output, lower turnover, and stronger relationships with global buyers who increasingly expect credible ESG safeguards.

As Kenya enters the 16 Days of Activism, the message is timely. Climate shocks and economic pressures heighten GBV risks. Addressing GBV strengthens Kenya’s growth, export reputation, and resilience, and builds agricultural value chains that are stronger and more reliable.

At IFC, we know that safety is essential for opportunity to flourish. When people are unsafe at home, in their communities, or at work, it limits their ability to learn, earn, and participate fully in the economy. For businesses, this results in reduced productivity, absenteeism, high turnover, and rising costs that affect growth. These challenges are particularly visible in sectors that depend on seasonal or rural labour, including agriculture.

Addressing GBV is a social concern and central to building resilient businesses. Going beyond compliance requires investing in prevention, strong policies, and leadership commitment. Through IFC’s Respectful Workplaces Program, which supports the private sector in emerging markets to create safe workplaces, we have seen businesses improve retention and operational stability. IFC remains committed to helping companies build safe, dignified, and inclusive workplaces and value chains.

At UN Women, we recognize that gender-based violence is a grave human rights violation and a fundamental barrier to women’s economic participation and to Kenya’s wider development. GBV undermines women’s agency, limits their access to opportunities, and weakens the systems that should enable equitable growth. Addressing it requires a systemic and gender-responsive approach that transforms the structures that perpetuate inequality.

Our work is grounded in Kenya’s national gender frameworks, including policies on women’s economic empowerment and protection. By supporting government, private sector, and community partners to operationalize these commitments, we help ensure that national priorities translate into measurable change.

We apply the Women’s Empowerment Principles to promote safe, inclusive, and accountable workplaces, while embedding survivor-centred approaches that prioritize dignity, confidentiality, and access to justice. Through these efforts, UN Women advances a Kenya where women can participate fully and safely in economic life.

At the United Nations Global Compact Network Kenya, we see this as a defining moment for responsible business leadership. No company can build competitive operations on unsafe workplaces. GBV is not an external social issue. It is a direct threat to productivity, investor confidence, and the long-term health of Kenya’s export sectors.

The United Nations Global Compact calls on companies to turn principles into practice and take responsibility for how they treat people. For Kenyan businesses, this means moving beyond statements to safeguards that workers can trust, including training, safe reporting channels, and fair remediation systems. It also means working with partners across the ecosystem so that safeguarding becomes a consistent expectation throughout value chains.

We continue to champion stronger uptake of the Women’s Empowerment Principles and greater transparency through the Communication on Progress. Publishing this op-ed between the Forum on Gender-Based Violence in Agricultural Value Chains and the upcoming Women’s Empowerment Principles Quarterly Forum offers companies a timely moment to step forward. Our message is clear. Make GBV prevention a leadership priority, resource it properly, and report progress openly.

Kenya now has the opportunity to show that economic performance and human dignity go hand in hand. Safe workplaces strengthen markets, attract investment, and support a confident and productive workforce. As we move from dialogue to action, we invite agribusiness leaders, financiers, and policymakers to embed GBV safeguards into governance, sourcing, and reporting. Let this be the moment when Kenyan businesses demonstrate that safety is non-negotiable and inclusion drives national progress.

This article was published in the Daily Nation Media