The global poverty-fighting organisation CARE International has welcomed the decision for a new International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on “Ending violence and harassment in the world of work” – following CARE’s #thisisnotworking campaign.
The agreement was made in Geneva at this year’s International Labour Conference between the ILO’s 187 member States.
During nearly two weeks of negotiations, governments, business and unions finally agreed on the need for a legally binding convention, meaning that in the future countries will have to adopt national legislation to tackle workplace violence and harassment.
Glen Tarman, Global Head of Policy and Advocacy at CARE International, said:
“CARE welcomes the agreement to establish the first-ever global treaty to end violence and harassment. It has the potential to change the lives of millions of women and girls who suffer disproportionate levels of abuse at work, often in the lowest paid and most hazardous jobs.
“That there will be an ILO Convention is a testament to the voices being raised worldwide for everyone to be safe from violence and harassment at work – from Hollywood to the world’s most exploited people. CARE and partners are proud to have played a part in campaigning for this new treaty.”
Lenny Quiroz, General Secretary of Domestic Workers Union of Ecuador, a partner of CARE said:
“I learned so much being in Geneva for this year’s ILO negotiations on violence and harassment at work and know that my advocacy needs to continue with my government. They need to know and understand us. “
The ILO, the UN agency that sets standards for the world of work, will have further consultations in the year ahead before governments gather again next June to negotiate the final text.
Tarman continued:
“Now we have a year to make sure that the strongest possible treaty and guidance is agreed – and to ensure that the largest number of countries agrees to ratify and make it a reality.”
Tarman said:
“CARE is pleased to see business beginning to come out in support of the ILO Convention. CARE calls on progressive business voices worldwide to actively support a strong treaty and robust guidelines and to ensure employers play a positive role in the negotiations to June 2019 so they are on the right side of history in forging a landmark global agreement to end violence and harassment in the world of work.
“Workers in global supply chains are at risk of violence and harassment due to pressure for quick turnarounds and low overheads, be it for fast fashion or supermarkets. Companies need to understand how to tackle violence and harassment in their complex supply chains.”
Background:
This year an initial text of the legally-binding Convention was approved but negotiators ran out of time to review most of an associated Recommendation – the detailed voluntary guidelines for its implementation at the national level.
ABOUT CARE
CARE is a leading humanitarian organisation fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside poor women and girls because, equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. Last year, CARE worked in 94 countries and reached more than 80 million people around the world. To learn more, please visit www.care.org and www.care-international.org.
Media contact:
Emily Wight, Senior Press Officer (Programmes and Policy), CARE International UK +442070916063, wight@careinternational.org
Spokespersons are available upon request.
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