International Labour Organization
4 route des Morillons. CH-1211 Genève 22. Switzerland
http://www.ilo.org/global/lang--en/index.htm
Background
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.
Policy framework
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.
Areas of Focus
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.
Resources
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).
Activities on training and capacity building in 2019 include:
- Two-hour session in October 2019 on Convention No. 190 and Recommendation No. 206, held at ITC for the global technical team of the ILO Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work Branch
- Learning- track workshop on Tackling Violence and Harassment in the World of Word: Developing a Policy, held on 18-20 November 2019 for participants -- including representatives of ILO member States, and workers’ and employers organizations – during the ITC Gender Academy. The ITC Gender Academy is a global international event on gender, work and employment, gathering experts and successful practitioners. Cutting-edge topics are presented and discussed in a series of master classes with simultaneous interpretation into English, French, Spanish and Arabic. A range of elective workshops, including the sessions on violence and harassment, offer additional insight into specific subjects, develop skills and provide room for application and knowledge-sharing.
- From February to April 2019, six one-day courses on preventing and addressing gender-based violence in garment supply chains held for Fair Wear Foundation member brands in Zurich, Stockholm, Mechelen, Amsterdam, The Hague and Cologne
- Two-hour master class on Convention No. 190 and Recommendation No. 206 during the ITC International Labour Standards Academy, held in May 2019.
- Sensitization session on Convention No. 190 and Recommendation No. 206, held in October 2019 during annual meeting of all gender focal points from Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development and European Union delegations
- Lunch-time session in May 2019 at ITC on Convention No. 190 and Recommendation No. 206, for all Campus participants and staff
- In the framework of the WeEmpower Project, ILO is developing different training modules for policy makers and the private sector on the topic of violence and harassment in the world of work
- ILO carried out capacity building activities for social partners in Argentina and Nepal, among others, on Convention No. 190 and on gender-based violence in particular
ILO was member of a panel, held 9 September 2019 in New York by UNFPA and UN Women, on “Where do we stand within the UN system on addressing sexual harassment?”, which was part of a special briefing for UN system gender focal points on progress against sexual harassment.
ILO held a webinar on Convention No. 190 for UNWOMEN ECA RO staff on September 18th, 2019.
ILO also held seminars, webinars and training sessions for ILO staff both at HQ and in the field on the new ILO Convention NO. 190.
Examples of advocacy-focused workshops in 2019 include:
• Design Thinking Lab on Violence at Work, held 14-15 February 2019 for ILO staff and academics, at the Turin-based ILO International Training Centre (ITC)
• ILO joined the 16 days against violence against women campaign 2019 by undertaking an awareness-raising social media campaign
Fact sheets and other policy briefs on relevant issues in 2019 include those published on:
• Sexual harassment and Gender Gaps at Work
• HIV-Related Violence and Harassment in the World of Work
• Domestic Violence and its Impact on the World of Work
• Violence and Harassment Against Persons with Disabilities in the World of Work
The ILO also developed different audiovisual items to promote Convention No. 190 as well as to raise awareness on the topic of violence against women.
In collaboration with UN Women, the ILO published the Handbook “Addressing violence and harassment against women in the world of work” on March 2019. This manual, launched on the occasion of the annual session of the UN Committee on the Status of Women, provides a glimpse into emerging good practices to address violence and harassment against women in the world of work, by governments, employers and workers and their organizations, and civil society.
During 2019, the ILO has been involved in the Spotlight Projects in Argentina, Zimbabwe and Timor Leste, as well as in the Safe and Fair Project in the ASEAN Region, therefore joining efforts with UN entities and other actors to end violence against women.
In the framework of the WeEmpower Project, the ILO is elaborating illustrative good practices for businesses and policy makers including covering the topic of violence and harassment (V&H) against women and a guidance note for business on this theme.
The framework for ILO action to implement the June 2019 International Labour Conference Resolution concerning the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work was approved in the latter part of 2019 by the ILO Governing Body. The framework, among other things, included elements of a strategy for wide ratification of Convention No. 190 such as – and based on constituents’ requests -- promoting national reviews that assess relevant laws, collective agreements, policies and practices, and helping member States to understand what is required for effective implementation and possible future ratification.
Besides legislative reviews undertaken with a view towards the ratification of the Violence and Harassment Convention, No. 190, technical support and assistance in terms of legislative development remains at the heart of ILO’s core role. Therefore, support for legislative development is also provided by the Office through the comments and observations adopted by the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations, as well as through the technical assistance provided in the adoption of labour laws, particularly those tackling sexual harassment.
On 21 June 2019 in Geneva, the International Labour Conference adopted the Violence and Harassment in the World of Work Convention (No. 190) and its accompanying Recommendation (No. 206), which are the first-ever international standards on this topic. The Conference also adopted the ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future or Work, expressing a clear commitment to a world of work that is free from violence and harassment.
1) Conducted open residential courses, focused on practical strategies to prevent and address violence and harassment at workplace level: "Violence and Harassment in the World of Work: what to do?" 19-23 Nov 2018, Turin - Language: English, French.
2) (In collaboration with Fair Wear Foudation whithin project "Safe and Equal") tailor-made trainings on prevention of Workplace Violence and Harassment for managers and/or workers' reps of garment factories in Indonesia (sept 2018), Vietnam (Oct 2018) and Myanmar (Dec 2018).
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.
1. The ILO report “Care work and care jobs for the future of work” gathers diverse data on the presence of violence and harassment in care work and acknowledges that, “on occasion, care workers experience violence and harassment” and that “health-care workers report some of the highest levels of violence compared to other industries or sectors”. See: ILO. 2018. Care Work and Care Jobs for the Future of Decent Work (Geneva).
2. A national questionnaire and a paper was developed in Egypt in early 2018 to better understand the dimension of violence at work. The paper is under finalization.