Social protection:
Workplace violence in the health services

Health workers are particularly at risk for workplace violence. The ILO has teamed up with the International Council of Nurses (ICN), the World Health Organization (WHO) and Public Services International (PSI) to address this problem. The ILO, ICN, WHO, PSI Joint Programme on Workplace Violence in the Health Sector was launched in 2000 and has since carried out a series of research activities and published Framework Guidelines for addressing workplace violence in the health sector (pdf, 777k). Study reports, research instruments and the Framework Guidelines may be consulted on a Joint Programme website. The Joint Programme encourages the use of the materials for stimulating further discussion, research and the development of policies and strategies addressing workplace violence in the health sector.

In addition to the Framework guidelines, a training manual has been released to assist practitioners in implementing the guidelines.