International Labour Organization
ILO’s work on violence and harassment against women is guided by the 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Rights and Principles at Work; the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention (No. 111) and Recommendation (No. 111), 1958; the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29); the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No.182); the Migration for Employment Convention (Revised), 1949 (No. 97); the Migrant Workers (Supplementary Provisions) Convention, 1975 (No. 143); the Workers with Family Responsibilities Convention, 1981 (No.156), the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169); the Maternity Protection Convention, 2000 (No.183); the Domestic Workers Convention (No. 189) and Recommendation (No. 201) , 2011; the Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy Recommendation, 2015 (No. 204); and the Employment and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience Recommendation, 2017 (No. 205). The ILO's supervisory system ensures regular monitoring of the application of these Conventions in law and in practice, through the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations, formed by independent experts, and in the context of the tripartite Committee on the Application of Standards.
Furthermore, the International Labour Conference adopted, in June 2009, the Resolution concerning gender equality at the heart of decent work, which states that gender-based violence in the workplace should be prohibited. They further recommend that policies, programmes, legislation, and other measures, as appropriate, should be implemented to prevent it and that Governments should develop gender equality indicators which could include violence against women in the workplace.
Most recently, the ILO has adopted the Violence and Harassment Convention No.190 and its supplementing Recommendation No.206. The process behind these instruments began in 2015, and – with the recent global outcry against violence and harassment – their adoption could not be more timely or relevant. Convention No. 190 and Recommendation No. 206 are the first international labour standards to provide framework to prevent, remedy and eliminate violence and harassment in the world of work, including gender-based violence and harassment. The Convention includes the specific recognition, for the first time in international law, of the right of everyone to a world of work free from violence and harassment, and sets out the obligation to respect, promote and realize this right.
The ILO is the only tripartite U.N. agency. Since 1919, it brings together governments, employers and workers representatives of member States to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all workers.
Website:ILO. “Violence and stress”. Available here. [16 June 2016]
Website:ILO. “The ILO Standard Setting Committee: violence and harassment in the world of work”. Available here. [28 May 2018]
Website:ILO. “Prevention of violence at work”. Available here. [18 July 2018].
Website: ILO. “Eliminating violence and harassment in the world of work”. Available here. [25 September 2018]
Video:SCORE Peru. 2017. “The business impact of domestic violence and harassment”. Available here.
Video:ILO. 2018. “Safe&Fair: Realizing women migrant workers' rights and opportunities in the ASEAN region”. Available here.
Video:ILO. 2017. “The future of gender equality at work”. Available here.
Video:ILO. 2017. “Formação professional de assistente de cozinha para travesties, mulheres e homens transexuais”.Available here.
Video:ILO. 2015. “No one should work this way. Protecting domestic workers from abuse”. Available here.
Video: ILO. 2019. “Shaping a world of work free from violence and harassment”. Available here.
Video: ILO. 2019. “New International Labour Standards on Violence and Harassment in the World of Work”. Available here.
Video: ILO. 2019. “New ILO Standards on Violence and Harassment at Work: What benefits for workers?” Available here.
Video: ILO. 2019. “ILO Convention/Recommendation Violence and harassment in the world of work”. Available here.
Video: ILO. 2018. “Five things to know about the Committee on violence and harassment in the world of work”. Available here.
Video: ILO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean. 2019. “Construyendo igualdad libre de violencia para las mujeres constructoras en Bolivia”. Available here.
Video Series (5 episodes):Ministry of Labour of Brazil and ILO. 2018.“Assédio Sexual no trabalho”.Available here.
Truskinovsky, Y. et al. 2014. Sexual harassment in garment factories: Firm structure, organizational culture and incentive systems, Better Work Discussion Paper Series No. 14 (Geneva, ILO).
Social media campaign: ILO. 2019. ILO at the UN General Assembly. Breakfast event on “A Global Mandate to End Violence and Harassment in the World of Work: ILO Convention (No.190) and Recommendation (No. 206). Available here.
Social media campaign: ILO. 2019. “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence”. Available here.
Rogers, K. and Chappell, D. , Preventing and responding to violence at work (ILO, 2003)
Pillinger, J. 2017. Violence and harassment against women and men in the world of work. Trade union perspectives and action (Geneva, ILO)
On-line game:Sexual harassment at the workplace(ITCILO, 2016). Available here.
N. Haspels, Z. Mohamed Kasim, C. Thomas and D. McCann, Action against sexual harassment at work in Asia and the Pacific (ILO, 2001)
Ministry of Labour of Brazil, and ILO. 2017.Assédio Sexual no Trabalho. Preguntas e respostas.(Brasilia).
McCann, D. 2005. Sexual harassment at work: National and international responses, Conditions of Work and Employment Series No. 2 (Geneva, ILO).
Lippel, K. 2016. Addressing Occupational Violence: An overview of conceptual and policy considerations viewed through a gender lens. Working Paper No. 5/2016 (Geneva, Gender, Equality and Diversity Branch, ILO)
International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ITC–ILO) and Fair Wear Foundation. 2016. Gender-based violence in global supply chains: Resource kit. Available at:https://gbv.itcilo.org/
ILO. 2019. Ending violence and harassment in the world of work, Report V(2A) and Report V(2B), International Labour Conference, 108th Session (Geneva).
ILO. 2019. “ILO Convention on Violence and Harassment: Five key questions”. Available here.
ILO. 2018. The Threat of Physical and Psychosocial Violence and Harassment in Digitalized Work (Geneva, ILO)
ILO. 2018. Ending violence and harassment in the world of work, Report V(2), International Labour Conference, 107th Session (Geneva).
ILO. 2018. Ending violence and harassment against women and men in the world of work, Report V(1), International Labour Conference, 107th Session (Geneva).
ILO. 2018. Ending violence and harassment in the world of work, Report V(1), International Labour Conference, 108th Session (Geneva).
ILO. 2016. Report of the Director-General: Fifth Supplementary Report - Outcome of the Meeting of Experts on Violence against Women and Men in the World of Work, GB.238/INS/17/5 (2016).
ILO. 2006. Using Indonesian Law to Protect and Empower Indonesian Migrant Workers: Some Lessons from the Philippines, ILO project on Mobilising Action for the Protection of Domestic Workers from Forced Labour and Trafficking in Southeast Asia. (Jakarta)
ILO. 2004. Code of practice on workplace violence in services sectors and measures to combat this phenomenon (Geneva).
ILO Instruments: ILO. 2019. Eliminating violence and harassment in the world of work. Convention No. 190, Recommendation No. 206 and the accompanying Resolution (Geneva).
ILO et al. 2002. Framework guidelines for addressing workplace violence in the health sector (Geneva).
ILO and UN Women. 2019. Handbook: Addressing violence and harassment against women in the world of work (New York)
ILO and IFC. 2019. Thematic Brief: Sexual harassment at work: Insights from the global garment industry (Geneva)
Hoel, H., Sparks, K., and Cooper, Cary L. 2001. The cost of violence/stress at work and the benefits of a violence/stress-free working environment (University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology and the International Labour Organization).
Henry, C. and Adams, J. 2018. Spotlight on sexual violence and harassment in commercial agriculture: Lower and middle income countries (Geneva, Research Department, ILO)
Di Martino, V. Chappell, D. 2006. Violence at work (third edition) (ILO, 2006)
Di Martino, V. 2001. Guidance for the prevention of stress and violence at the workplace (Kuala Lumpur, ILO).
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ILO’s action concerning violence and harassment in the world of work includes sexual harassment, all forms of gender-related discrimination at work, forced labour and trafficking, and child labour. Devoting special attention to women, the ILO addresses violence against migrant workers, pregnant workers and workers with family responsibilities, domestic workers, many of whom are women, as well as indigenous and tribal women. It undertakes policy development, research, operational activities, awareness-raising activities and supervision of the application of the relevant International Labour Standards. The ILO’s approach to violence and harassment against women is embedded within a Decent Work framework and includes preventing discrimination based on gender, exploitation and abuse through the promotion of gender-responsive, regulated and managed migration policies, bilateral and multilateral agreements, maternity protection and labour standards for migrant workers and workers with family responsibilities.
In the context of capacity building, the ILO provides technical support in the area of discrimination, violence and harassment in the world of work to its constituents in a number of countries. Most recently action on policy and legal advice, training and awareness raising has been undertaken in Bahrain, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia, Kuwait, Jordan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, occupied Palestinian territory, Peru, Senegal, Thailand and Viet Nam. The ILO Better Work Programme, in partnership with the International Finance Corporation pays specific attention to preventing sexual harassment in the garment industry in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, Indonesia, Jordan, Nicaragua and Viet Nam. The ILO also contributes to several inter-agency mechanisms concerned with this issue and has launched its own internal anti-sexual harassment campaign.
The ILO Office in Brazil has developed a project to empower transgender persons in violent situations, especially those who are homeless, living in public shelters and engaged in prostitution, by providing them professional training in kitchen assistant.
The ILO-GIP Project aims to reduce poverty and contribute to the empowerment of Myanmar women working in the garment industry by improving labour relations, social dialogue and gender equality. A report containing a gender equality assessment in several garment factories is expected to be released in September 2018.
The ILO has supported the Ministry of Labour of Brazil to produce and disseminate training and information materials about sexual harassment at work, including a guide on responses to sexual harassment and a video series of five episodes.
The ILO launched on March 2018 an Office-wide campaign to combat all forms of sexual harassment and misconduct within the ILO.
The ILO has embarked on a process towards the possible adoption of international labour standards on violence and harassment in the world of work. This is pursued through the International Labour Conference Standard Setting Committee on violence and harassment in the world of work, which is scheduled to meet on June 2018 and June 2019.
7. “Safe & Fair” delivers technical assistance and support with the overall objective of making labour migration safe and fair for all women in the ASEAN region. This project is part of the multi-year EU-UN Spotlight Initiative to Eliminate Violence against Women and Girls and is implemented by the ILO and UN Women.
See: ILO. 2018. “Safe&Fair: Realizing women migrant worker’s rights and opportunities in the ASEAN region”. Available at: https://www.ilo.org/asia/media-centre/multimedia/WCMS_634369/lang--en/index.htm
ILO's Better Work Programme has conducted trainings on sexual harassment in the garment sector factories targeting workers, supervisors and mid-level managers. The trainings have mainly been conducted in Jordan (more than 40 trainings in 2015 and 2016), Cambodia (more than 20 in 2015) and Vietnam. In Lesotho, a roundtable discussion was conducted with workers and managers, followed by training on prevention of sexual harassment. The Programme has also developed toolkits and guidelines to prevent and address sexual harassment in the factories for the different countries.
Based on the lessons learned over these years, and teaming up with FairWear Foundation – which has extensive experience in combating VAW in the textile global supply chain – in 2015 ITCILO has produced a Training Resource Kit on Preventing and Addressing Gender-based Violence in Global Supply Chains, which offers information, case studies and other resources to inform, sensitize and build capacities among ILO constituents and various other public and private actors. The Resource Kit will be on-line in April 2016.
Since 2013 the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITCILO) has started to focus more specifically on gender-based violence at work, introducing thematic workshops on the topic in both editions of the ITCILO Gender Academy (2013 and 2015), a major global specialised event on gender equality in the world of work. The workshops provided both formal training and participatory awareness raising sessions such as Forum Theatre.