Watch the Human Rights Watch webinar: Using C190 and National Law Reform to End Gender-Based Violence at Work (November 2020) - With Nisha Varia (HRW), Marie Clarke Walker (CLC Canada), Carmen Britez (IDWF), Manuela Tomei (ILO), and Delphine O (government of France). HRW launched their advocacy campaign to fight gender-based violence at work by promoting the ratification of C190 (Check our campaign updates and allies section for more information). 

CAMPAIGN UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

GLOBAL
 
8 March, International Women’s Day: ITUC’s online statement advocating A New Social Contract for a gender-equitable recovery and resilience includes the call for the right to live and work free from violence and harassment. The ITUC general secretary, Sharan Burrow, stated in her blog: “(…) Governments must take responsibility for women’s safety, including the right to non-violent workplaces, and employers must be held to account.”
Global Unions also reiterated their call to #RatifyC190 on 25 November 2020 and 8 March 2021, with initiatives such as those held by IndustriALL affiliates in South East Asia, Ivory Coast, Canada and Europe, Education International affiliates in Australia, and ITF affiliates in Romania.
 
On 25 November 2020, International Day on the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls, and during the Global 16 Days of Activism, the ITUC and the Global Union Federations released various calls to action for the ratification of C190: IDWF - We shall be silent no more: we signed up for domestic labour, not for domestic abuse; PSI - global Twitter wave on 25th November 2020, for a World of Work free from Violence and Harassment; IndustriALL affiliates in South East Asia pledged to negotiate collective agreements and to campaign for the ratification of C190 in all countries, to take action against domestic violence, to initiate programmes to eliminate violence against women and to develop structures for advocating ratification.

INDUSTRIALL reported that an increase in gender-based violence during the COVID-19 crisis has led to an unprecedented level of trade union demands, for the ratification of ILO Convention 190 (in English, French, Russian, Spanish and Arabic). In Morocco, the UMT and CDT reached out to parliamentarians and sent letters to the government, calling for the ratification of C190, while providing training to their members on working women’s rights and ILO C190. The JTGCU in Jordan reached out to migrant women workers and distributed leaflets and posters. In Iraq, Hashmeya Al-Saadawi, co-chair of the MENA region for IndustriALL, led a delegation to request the government to ratify C190. And in Tunisia, the UGTT sent a team to parliament calling for the ratification of C190 (January 2021).

ITF affiliates in West and Central Africa organised a capacity-building workshop for women leaders in the transport sector, which is marked by constant violations of women’s rights. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of women affected by violence and harassment has doubled: more than 50% of women face physical, psychological and economic abuse as a result of the pandemic. The workshop will intensify the C190 campaign.

CAMPAIGN UPDATES BY REGION

EUROPE

The ETUC called upon all EU member states to ratify C190 (November 2020), underpinning the need for urgent action, since in times of crisis the risks of violence and harassment are even higher. It also published a sample letter to call on ministers in the EU to ratify C190. On International Women’s Day, the ETUC called for extra protections against online harassment for women working from home and presented a COVID-19 pandemic survey of women union leaders, which showed that governments and employers are not doing enough to tackle violence and harassment at work. According to Esther Lynch, deputy general secretary of the ETUC, “The pandemic has created additional threats for women at work, whether it’s violence from customers and clients who refuse to comply with COVID safety rules, new forms of online sexual harassment or the increase in domestic violence when working from home.”

In ITALY, the CGIL, CISL and UIL applauded the Senate’s approval of the ratification of C190 (January 2021). It is the first European country to take this step. Mercedes Landolfi of FILLEA-CGIL stated that C190 complements the code of conduct already incorporated into their national collective agreements and many other company agreements, including in the wood sector and soon to be included in the building and construction sector. The final stage in the ratification of C190 is for the government to deposit the instrument to the ILO.
 
SPAIN: UGT and CCOO joined forces with an 8 March statement urging their government to #RatifyC190, building on the manifesto they drew up for 25 November (2020), which pointed to the heightened risks of violence and harassment during the COVID-19 pandemic. They urged their government to make resources available to prevent violence and harassment and guarantee access to services, including comprehensive care for victims.

FRANCE: Human Rights Watch, CGT, ActionAid and Care France collectively launched a C190 campaign with a petition calling on the government to ratify C190. So far, nearly 30,000 signatures have been collected. HRW opened a dedicated webpage in support of the C190 campaign in France and the CGT published a brochure providing guidance on handling cases of gender-based violence. The French Ministry of Labour and the ILO five-year partnership (involving employers and trade unions) includes a focus on violence and harassment in the world of work, equal pay, universal access to social protection and health and safety at work.

GREECE: On 8 March, GSEE placed a huge #RatifyC190 banner on its building and stated that “GSEE honours and stands in solidarity with women and men who have the courage and strength to resist violence and assaults on their dignity. Our position is premised on a broad concept of violence that includes rape, sexual harassment, verbal, psychological and physical abuse in the workplace, domestic violence and trafficking, as well as violence on the grounds of race, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation.” See also the ET blog by Yannis Panagopoulos, president of GSEE.

IRELAND: The ICTU held a webinar (February 2021) on paid domestic violence leave in preparation of the upcoming government agreement to establish a statutory entitlement to paid domestic violence leave. During the webinar, minister for children, equality, disability, integration and youth, Roderic O’Gorman, stated that the legislative proposals will be brought forward by the end of 2021. A motion calling for such a right was passed at ICTU’s Women’s Conference (March 2020).

ALBANIA: The government of Albania initiated the C190 ratification procedure with the support of the social partners, particularly the BSPSH and KSSH trade unions. An analysis of the national legal framework with regards to C190, conducted in October 2020, was presented to the National Labour Council for further discussion. Trade unions in Albania expect that C190 will be ratified in 2021.

See also campaign updates from Croatia (SSSH), UK (TUC), Belgium (FGTB, CGSLB) and EFFAT.

LATIN AMERICA

The TUCA organised a regional online conference and released its 8 March Statement calling for the ratification of C190. It also reported, based on information received from trade unions across the region, that gender-based violence and harassment increased by 60.5% during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside the surge in domestic violence.
 
ECUADOR is also on its way to ratifying C190. In January 2021, the National Assembly of Ecuador unanimously approved the ratification of C190. Unions, the Labour Ministry and civil society groups congratulated the assembly members for paving the way for a world of work free from violence and harassment. Ecuador will now deposit the ratification instrument with the ILO. The TUCA, the ITUC’s regional organisation for the Americas, congratulated the Ecuadorian people on this result. Its regional #RatifyC190 campaign aims to convince the majority of the countries in the region to ratify this Convention.
 
CHILE: See News coverage of CUT Chile’s campaign. Putting pressure on the government to #RatifyC190. Julia Requena, vice president of the Women and Gender Equity Committee, said that “it is the right moment for ratification”. Referring to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including reduced incomes and the lack of social protection, she added that ratification of C190 could regulate and create laws to better protect these rights (December 2020). *** On 25 November, women of CUT Chile delivered a letter to President Sebastián Piñera demanding the urgent ratification of C190. In early November 2020, the Chamber of Deputies approved a draft agreement requesting the government to ratify C190. *** The CUT’s campaign continues: actions were held in March 2021 to reinforce their call to #RatifyC190.

See also the campaign updates from Colombia (CUT), Venezuela (ASI), Panama (CTRP), Argentina (CGT), Dominican Republic (CIMTRA) and PSI.

MENA

The ATUC and the Global Union Federations in the region released an 8 March statement calling on all unions to reinforce their campaigns for a world of work free from violence and harassment and for the ratification of C190.

JORDAN: Government urged to adopt Convention 190 to safeguard the wellbeing and security of workers. The ILO, the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) and the General Federation of Jordanian Trade Unions (GFJTU) made the call during a webinar. The experts and activists called for united national efforts to ensure a violence-free working environment for male and female labourers in Jordan.

MOROCCO: “Violence in the workplace has dire effects on women psychologically, socially and professionally, due to the absence of legal protection. The pandemic has exposed the extent of the domestic violence in our societies, with the increase in the rates seen as a result of the lockdown, quarantine and isolation measures. With the adoption of C190, which recognises the dangers and effects of domestic violence on working women and outlines many protection measures, we will no longer be victims of double violence. Let’s mobilise to demand the ratification of the convention.” Amal el Amri, UMT assistant general secretary, parliamentarian and president of the Union Progressiste des Femmes du Maroc (UPFM-UMT)

ALGERIA: On 8 March 2021, unions campaigned for an end to gender-based violence and harassment. The Algerian Women Maritime Workers’ Committee was amongst the organisations that took part in the actions calling on the government to ratify C190.
 
AFRICA
 
SOUTH AFRICA: President Ramaphosa announced that in an effort to end harassment at work, South Africa is in the process of ratifying ILO Convention 190 and stated: “As we travel together along the path to overcome the coronavirus pandemic, we must never lose sight of the need to act urgently and decisively to end the violence that men perpetrate against women and children.” (January 2021) ***During the 16 Days of Activism, MISA, affiliated to FEDUSA, carried out a range of campaign activities to end GBV and to promote the ratification of C190 with the support of workers, including those from Volvo Trucks, C&F Motors Spares and Unitas Motors. See also FEDUSA’s website C190 CAN.
 
GHANA: Alberta Laryea-Gyan, head of the TUC Gender and Child Protection Department urged all activists to engage and educate each other on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) for behaviour change: “Let each one of us play a pivotal role in fighting Violence and Harassment in the World of Work and indeed Peace shall Reign.” She also stated that this is a time to push harder for the ratification of C190. (November 2020) ***Gender Coordinator of the Public Utility Workers Union (PUWU), in Ghana, Joyce Maku Appiah added, “Gender-based violence and abuse is really happening in Ghana and many people do not talk about it. If you talk to ten women, you may have at least eight of them that have gone through that. People do not say anything because they want to safeguard their jobs and another reason is the fear of stigmatisation from colleagues and friends.”
 
See also campaign updates from Senegal (CNTS), Benin (REFES), and Zambia (ZCTU).
 
ASIA-PACIFIC
 
On the eve of International Women’s Day, Shoya Yoshida, general secretary of ITUC-AP called for a “gender-equal future and a world of work without gender-based violence”, including the ratification of C190. In parallel, ITUC-AP launched their new #RatifyC190 website with calls from women trade union leaders across the region to #RatifyC190. The ITUC-AP #RatifyC190 campaign – in alliance with ActionAid International, CARE and International Women’s Rights Action Watch – remains one of the top priorities in the region, amidst heightened challenges for women workers due to the COVID-19 pandemic: disproportionate job losses, reduction of working hours and a surge in domestic violence. In Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines, unions face a rollback of laws protecting workers, violent trade union repression and attacks on democracy and human rights.

AUSTRALIA: IFJ affiliate MEAA developed tools which assist media organisations to better support women journalists who experience harassment in the world of work, including media moderation guidelines and cyber safety training.
 
ISRAEL: During the 16 Days of Activism (2020), Na'amat and the Histadrut launched their  campaign with a series of videos (video 1, video 2 and video 3) aimed at breaking the cycle of violence in the world of work, including domestic violence. A NA'AMAT ceremony commemorated the twenty women who were victims of domestic violence in 2020 by planting twenty trees. Na'amat launched its “Everything is not okay with us” campaign on digital media and TV channels. Tens of thousands of workers in the state of Israel stopped their work for ten minutes, following the Histadrut chair’s call to “turn off the light and turn on the warning light”, to raise awareness about the fight against domestic violence (February 2021).

NEPAL: Unions will carry out a year-long ratification campaign in 2021. The ILO launched a C190 tripartite Action Group (February 2021), with the representation of trade unions, employers’ organisations and the government. The C190 Action Group aims to advance gender equality and social justice by working towards the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work in Nepal.

PHILIPPINES: National C190 consultations were completed in February 2021 and the Ministry of Labour will now draft the recommendations on the next steps. The Institute for Labour Studies (ILS), part of the Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) held a webinar calling for the ratification of C190 to ensure a world of work free from violence and harassment – the panel included Nice Coronacion, deputy general secretary of SENTRO. At a national tripartite feedback e-forum towards the ratification of C190 (19 February 2021), the DOLE secretary, Silvestre H. Bello III, expressed his full support for the ratification. “The Department believes that the ILO Convention 190 provides a critical opportunity for us to strengthen our existing legal and institutional mechanisms for addressing violence and harassment.” *** KMU celebrated 8 March with Women Workers Rise For Rights! and – in alliance with various trade unions – called for the protection of women workers’ rights, including decent wages, regularisation, economic aid amidst the pandemic, the ratification of C190 and an end to the attacks on trade union and labour rights advocates. *** NTUC, associate member of the ITUC, negotiated new clauses, in line with C190, in collective bargaining agreements (February 2021). The union and the company will proceed with its implementation, including workplace policies to raise awareness on domestic violence, a company manual to prevent violence and harassment and assistance and services for survivors.
 
INDONESIA: The Indonesia Coalition on Ending Violence and Harassment in the World of Work submitted a research paper on violence and harassment to the Parliament (October 2020), underpinning the critical importance of ratifying C190. The Chemical and Health Federation (KIKES) affiliated to KSBSI, led by a young woman representative, signed an agreement with the management of the PT JMS Group (a company manufacturing medical-related products) on GBV-free workplaces, which starts with the formation of a complaints team at the company level and integrating this joint initiative into the collective bargaining agreement.

BANGLADESH: Unions started a year-long ratification campaign in January 2021 with the support of ITUC-AP. ITUC-BC Women’s Committee held a webinar (December 2020) as part of the 16 Days of Activism against GBV. Ministers of both Labour and Employment and Women and Children’s Affairs joined the event. A webinar was held during the 16 Days of Activism: Combined Efforts on Ratifying ILO Convention 190 in Bangladesh.

PAKISTAN: The PWF national trade union centre provides legal aid to people via their hotline (established in November 2020) against the backdrop of increased reports of layoffs, harassment, reduced wages, and intimate partner violence facing workers. PWF and APWA took part in the 8 March activities (2021).

JAPAN: Within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, JTUC-RENGO urged the government to respond to a surge in violence and harassment in the world of work, including that faced by healthcare workers, supermarket workers, delivery workers in the transport industry and trainee teachers. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare responded with a list of Q&A to inform the public that acts of bullying and harassment in the world of work may fall under the Power Harassment Prevention Act, which was included in the revised Act on Comprehensive Promotion of Labour Policies in June 2020.

See also campaign updates from New Zealand (PSA), Mongolia (MTUC) and India (BWI affiliates).

ALLIES

Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL) – Global #16Days Campaign
The 2020 Global 16 Days Campaign prioritised addressing violence and harassment against informal women workers and drew attention to their concerns. The campaign was implemented in 185+ countries by 6,000+ networks, organisations and institutions at the community, local, national and global levels. A day was dedicated to increasing awareness about the growth of femicide during the pandemic. The 16 Days of Activism Campaign has shifted from 16 to 365 days of the year to highlight and address the pandemic of gender-based violence. In 2021, the CWGL will celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the Global 16 Days Campaign. *** CWGL, in partnership with the Forum for Women, Law and Development and more than 25 allies from different sectors, launched an advocacy campaign in Nepal to call on the Government to ratify C190 (March 2021).

Solidarity Center
Report: Made for this moment: How ILO Convention 190 Addresses Gender-Based Violence and Harassment in the World of Work during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond, available in English, Spanish and Arabic. (November 2021)*** Blog: Lesotho: A precedent-setting binding programme that targets GBVH in four Lesotho garment factories is now in place for 10,000 workers producing jeans for the global market (February 2021). It coincided with a social media campaign, including text message blasts to garment workers, Lesotho-based media coverage and a video announcement by signatories to the 2019 agreements. *** In its 2020 annual report, Solidarity Center reports that its partners from around the world— from Bahrain to South Africa, and from Mexico to Morocco—went online, spoke at webinars, recorded videos and raised their voices on social media regarding C190.
 
Human Rights Watch
France is the first focus country of the HRW advocacy campaign to promote the ratification of C190 (November 2020) as well as the reform and implementation of the relevant national laws. Campaign materials include a social media press kit and campaign resources calling on President Macron to ratify C190. India: HRW published a report “No #MeToo for Women Like Us”: Poor Enforcement of India’s Sexual Harassment Law (November 2020) as well as a video (in English and Hindi). See also the HRW press release.
 
StreetNet
A webinar, Ratify ILO C190: Violence Against Women Street Vendors, was held in December 2020 on the importance of ratifying C190 for the protection of women workers in the informal economy. Hilma Mote, ILO ACTRAV officer, shared that countries which have ratified C190 are sending a crucial message to their people: “Their leaders are saying that our workers, irrespective of employment status or income status, matter and their dignity has to be preserved”. Naira Leal of TUCA emphasised the important role trade unions have to play: “As [trade] unions we can and should sensitise and educate our members and society in general. Promote awareness, that’s fundamental: what is violence, what is harassment, when does it happen, what can we do about it? The preparation of guides for union representatives on how to support these victims is also needed, as is action to build alliances.” You can watch the webinar here (with subtitles in English, French, Spanish, Russian and Hindi).
 
ActionAid
In Ghana, ActionAid held a workshop with employers, business owners and managers of businesses in the Northern Region to develop sexual harassment charters to guide their organisations in protecting young women and men, and especially those in the informal sector, to stay safe from sexual harassment at the workplace.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT:

Shaheena Kausar, member of the Women Workers Union (WWU) and general secretary for Women in the Punjab province of the Mutthaida Labour Federation, in Pakistan. 

The union (affiliated to the Mutthaida Labour Federation) works for women’s labour rights in Pakistan and was founded in 2005. The women members are factory workers, home-based workers, domestic workers, private school teachers, ‘lady health workers’ and agriculture workers. WWU is a platform that women workers from all sectors can join and highlight their issues. WWU has outreach in nine districts of Punjab and believes “Equality is Empowerment”.
 
As a result of a long struggle by women’s rights organisations, in 2010, Pakistan’s government passed legislation to protect women against sexual harassment, The Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2010 (PAHWA). After the 18^th constitutional amendment, the subject became provincial responsibility and the provinces adopted the PAHWA accordingly. Many public and private institutions adopted the code of conduct immediately. Unfortunately, the industrial sector did not take it earnestly. The WWU conducted more than 100 awareness sessions on the law across the public and private sector. Trade unions and women’s rights organisations have worked tirelessly on the elimination of Gender Based Violence and Harassment (GBVH).
 
WWU has always advocated and demanded that PAHWA be part of the checklist of the labour inspectorate. In lieu of this law, it is mandatory to: (a) form an inquiry committee (to inquire into complaints under this act); (b) display a code of conduct in the premises; (c) organise an awareness session for employees (basic clauses of law) and; (d) display the inquiry committee’s name and contact details at the workplace. In the industrial sector, implementation is not satisfactory. GBVH is a grave concern and there are a number of organisations, including trade unions, which are working towards addressing this shortfall. Alliance building across the board and collective actions against the unacceptable practice needs to be enhanced. This would not only improve protection of women against harassment but would also improve production on the shop floor and efficiency at any workplace by providing a secure working environment in the world of work for women.
 
Implementation of the law is only possible by enhanced sensitisation of the issue, reinforcement of the law, a trained inquiry committee and vigilant labour inspectors. During WWU’s tenure in the scrutiny committee of the Lahore district, we always asserted the need to recruit women labour inspectors and the adoption of PAHWA at shop floor level. We succeeded but a lot still needs to be done. Trade unions have worker representatives on government committees at district, provincial and federal levels. These members can play an important role in the implementation of the law by highlighting women’s harassment issues on their priority agenda. Trade unions and women rights organisations working on GBVH and alliance building between sectors and organisations can also be an effective mechanism to reduce malpractices. Women’s rights are guaranteed by the constitution of Pakistan. The national legal framework contains: the Acid Control and Acid Crime Prevention Act, 2011, Prevention of Anti-Women Practices Act, 2011, Criminal Law (Amendment) (Offense of Rape) Act 2016, Criminal Law (Amendment) (Offences in the name or pretext of Honour) Act, 2016, Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016,Hindu Marriage Act, 2017.(PCSW 2015)
 
There are also a number of provincial legislations and policies to eliminate GBVH. It has to be said that Pakistan has the best legislation in the subcontinent, but the lack of implementation and political commitment remains a challenge. Ratification of C190 by Pakistan’s government would be instrumental in effectively implementing pro-women laws and in the elimination of GBVH.

ILO

Women hit hard by COVID-19 impact on garment sector (November 2020). The impact of COVID-19  on women in the garment industry has worsened due to underlying challenges such as discrimination and harassment, underrepresentation of women’s voices, wage gaps or unevenly shared unpaid care and family obligations, according to a new brief from the ILO. Available in English. The ILO related article is available in English, Spanish and French.

Policy Brief on sexual harassment in the entertainment industry. The Violence and Harassment Recommendation, 2019 (No. 206) includes entertainment among the sectors and occupations which may be particularly exposed to violence and harassment. This brief analyses trends and patterns of sexual harassment in the entertainment industry and provides an overview of relevant laws and other means to protect workers in the industry.
 
On 25 November, International Day on the Elimination of Violence against Women, the ILO awarded the first prize in a special short film category sponsored by the ILO Loai Ahmed Galal’s powerful film, Message to my Dad during the Shasha Mobile Film Festival. The film portrays the life of a young woman married off at age 12 and spotlights the urgent need to end all forms of violence against women. 

ILO Guide on C190 and R206 (slides)

ITUC and the Global Union Federations are leading the way with a pioneering campaign for the worldwide ratification of C190 and its effective implementation, including R206, to realise a world of work free from violence and harassment, in particular gender-based violence and harassment.  The campaign is supported by human and labour rights and feminist advocates including Human Rights Watch, ActionAid International, Oxfam, WECF, Solidarity Center and the Global 16 Days campaign.