Quiport receives the Safe Company Seal free of violence and discrimination against women
- The recognition was granted by the Chamber of Industries and Production.
- The company has undertaken prevention and awareness initiatives to eradicate violence and has a regulatory framework and a procedure to investigate and sanction possible cases.
Corporación Quiport received the Safe Company Seal free of violence and discrimination against women. According to the Chamber of Industries and Productivity (CIP), promoter of this recognition, it is the highest distinction for companies in Ecuador that promote non-violence against women and equal opportunities between women and men.
After receiving the recognition, Francis Segovia, Financial Director of Quiport, the company that manages the Mariscal Sucre International Airport, emphasized that “Violence against women is one of the most atrocious situations that exist, a problem historically invisible and sometimes even ‘normalized’ by society”. She also explained that “At Quiport we decided that, although there was no type of complaint or report of cases of violence against women, it was our ethical obligation to join the efforts to combat this evil from awareness and prevention, but also generating policies and procedures to eliminate the culture of silence and take actions to protect potential victims of violence and punish those who commit violence, regardless of their position within the company”.
Quiport applied to obtain the Secure Company Seal at the beginning of this year. Previously, some initiatives had already been carried out, such as the implementation of a protocol for the prevention of workplace harassment and gender violence, including a complaints line, while, with the communities neighboring the airport, the company had been working on issues of development of the women through workshops and talks since 2006.
During 2022, the internal focus was to build trust in people so that they can speak safely with their leaders and with the instances created to deal with these cases.
As a result of the evaluation, Quiport formed a multidisciplinary team that was trained to accompany people who may eventually be victims of violence and discrimination in the complaint and investigation process. The team includes a psychologist, doctor, legal support, social management, welfare and an Occupational Health delegate.
Additionally, communication was strengthened with all personnel, including the managerial level, emphasizing the culture of zero tolerance for violence.
In the same way, virtual conferences on the subject were reinforced for the communities surrounding the airport. So far this year we have held 80 talks with more than 3,500 participants.
The company also promotes the development of women in traditional roles assumed by men, and today it has women aeronautical firefighters, women in platform operations, women in cargo operations, women airport bus drivers, and women in engineering. Quiport’s policy has encouraged the participation of women in leadership positions such as the Financial Department, as well as the Legal, Human Talent, Operations, Marketing and Environment departments.
The seal delivery ceremony was held on the night of Thursday, November 24 at the Itchimbía Crystal Palace.
The Safe Company Seal is granted by the Chamber of Production Industries (CIP) in coordination with the Ministry of Labor; the Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Investment and Fisheries; and the Public Procurement Service. In addition, it has the technical assistance of the PreViMujer program of the German Cooperation, implemented by GIZ.