The issue of workplace violence undoubtedly requires attention – from the 1944 Declaration of Philadelphia to the 2019 International Labour Organisation Recommendation 206 and Convention 190, both of which call for a world of work free from violence and harassment.

SA’s National Development Plan, too, confirms every person’s right to a working life that is conducive to productivity and embraces freedom, equality, human dignity and security. Despite their core right to physical and psychological integrity, millions of workers worldwide suffer from the scars of workplace violence, while SA employers and lawmakers remain sluggish in their responses...