#RatifyC190 Without Delay

On 25 June, the ILO’s robust and landmark instrument, the Violence and Harassment Convention (C190), comes into force two years after its adoption. To date, Argentina, Ecuador, Fiji, Namibia, Somalia and Uruguay have ratified it, and the ITUC is calling on all countries to follow suit.

To mark the anniversary, ITUC affiliates across the world are mobilising to press for ratification and for effective implementation of the Convention and its accompanying ILO Recommendation 206.

The ITUC and the Global Unions partners are organising a special online event to launch a C190 toolkit, which will become available in seven languages:

• To join the online event on 25 June at 14.00-15.30 CEST, register on Zoom or find the event on Facebook.

The ILO has also launched a global campaign to promote ratification and implementation.

Governments must ratify C190 as a matter of urgency. Violence and harassment are deeply entrenched in today’s world of work, affecting millions of workers – particularly women and also racialised, indigenous, migrant, LGBTQI+, disabled workers and other groups of workers who experience discrimination and inequality.

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a horrific surge in cases of domestic violence across the world, a surge in gender-based violence and harassment – particularly against frontline workers – and a rise in cyberbullying. Informal economy workers have experienced a dramatic increase in violence and harassment, as physical force has often been used against them when measures to restrict movement have been imposed. In the absence of social protection, these workers are forced to continue to work in order to survive.

The ITUC, Global Union Federations (BWI, EI, IFJ, IndustriALL, ITF, IUF, PSI and UNI) as well as the International Domestic Workers’ Federation (IDWF), civil society organisations and social justice movements, human rights advocates, women’s rights organisations and feminist movements will vigorously campaign until the day all governments commit to ratify C190.

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