Working Together to End Gender-Based Violence

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a human rights violation and a serious crime that knows no boundaries. According to the United Nations, nearly 1 in 3 women around the world experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Within South Africa, the police recorded close to 180 000 contact crimes against women in the 2018/19 financial year, with these crimes soaring in 2020 based on the lockdown. 

To help put an end to GBV, we must work together to be a part of the solution.  

We have partnered with RAINN, the largest anti-sexual violence organisation in the US and NISAA, a non-profit, non-governmental organization, opposed to all forms of oppression, exploitation and violence against women, to raise awareness of gender, power dynamics, and sexual harassment among driver-partners and riders. 

Driver-partners will be required to watch educational videos aimed at fostering respectful interactions and setting clear boundaries about what is appropriate and what is not. Riders are also encouraged to watch a video and have received tips on how to foster respectful interactions with drivers. You can watch the video here.

Expanding driver-partner education is another step in our efforts to put safety at the heart of everything we do.

For the last several years, we have launched pioneering safety features, improved policies and processes, and have aimed to set the standard on safety in the industry. We will continue to raise the bar on safety, by listening and learning from experts, making bold changes and following through on commitments. In addition, we recently partnered with A21, a global anti-human trafficking organisation, to provide new resources and refreshed tips to drivers and delivery people so they can learn how human trafficking works, how it may present, and how they can report or reach out for help. 

Respect is a two-way street and Uber’s messages around sexual misconduct are targeted to both drivers and riders.