The ITF welcomes news that Italy’s parliament has approved ratification of ILO Convention 190 on Violence and Harassment. This makes it the first European country to commit to protecting women and other workers in the workplace.
The Convention, also known as C190, is a landmark piece of legislation establishing international norms to prevent and respond to violence and harassment in the world of work. Uruguay and Fiji have already ratified, while Argentina and Namibia committed to ratification in late 2020.
Jodi Evans, ITF Women Transport Workers’ and Gender Equality Officer, says: “Italy has shown regional leadership by committing to eradicating workplace violence and harassment, and now we need the rest of Europe, and indeed the international community, to follow suit.
The Covid-19 pandemic has laid bare the vulnerabilities workers – particularly women – face in employment. Women from ITF affiliates across the world have spoken of the discrimination, harassment and abuse they are subjected to as ‘part of their job’, and data shows sexual and gender-based violence has soared during the pandemic. It is therefore vital that COVID-19 recovery plans include action against violence and harassment at work and at home: signing and ratifying C190 would signal that governments take their commitments to gender equality seriously.
Workers and their unions were critical in pushing the adoption of C190 in June 2019 and will continue to play an important role in collective bargaining and other efforts to ensure the Convention is ratified, enshrined in national laws, and implemented in workplaces.”
C190 is the first international labour standard that sets a clear framework to end violence and harassment in the world of work. The right to dignity and respect, and the right to work free from violence and harassment, are now articulated in an international treaty. C190 will enter into force on 25 June 2021.
