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Today, UNI Equal Opportunities is launching a 16-day campaign that will highlight the historic ILO Convention 190 (C190) on violence and harassment in the world of work, which was signed in June 2019. The convention provides a strong gender perspective with the aim of protecting women at work around the world.

However, there’s still work to do! For the convention to be effective, it must be ratified by member states. UNI has joined forces with other global union federations (IndustriALL, IUF, IFJ, IDWF and PSI) to encourage action from all affiliated unions to help the broader ratification efforts.

Together, the unions are lobbying governments worldwide to ratify this landmark convention, and are pushing to make the elimination of workplace violence and harassment a reality.

Join us by sharing our posters and information and making sure the call is heard loud and clear. UNI’s 16 Days of Activism will culminate on Human Rights Day (10th of December), and centre on the different elements of the ground-breaking new convention. Find all our materials here: www.breakingthecircle.org

“This ground-breaking convention can change lives,” said Head of UNI Equal Opportunities Verónica Fernández Méndez. “This is the first time in history that an international legal instrument protects workers from all forms of harassment and violence on the job.

“While we push for the convention to be ratified, unions don’t have to wait to use it. Trade unions can implement C190’s in collective agreements and global agreements to push for better protections. It’s a first step to seeing violence and harassment as more than a health and safety issue in the workplace, but as a global epidemic that needs to be eradicated. Trade unions are part of the solution, and we want this convention to become the globally accepted tool in the fight against violence and harassment in the world of work.”

The unions are also advocating for Recommendation 260, which aims to complement the convention. It further includes domestic violence as an element of workplace violence as it not only affects the well-being of workers, but also has an impact on workplace conditions and productivity.

According to UN statistics, 818 million women globally have experienced sexual or physical violence at home, in their communities or in the workplace. More than one in three countries have no laws against sexual harassment in the workplace and an estimated 235 million women are left unprotected.

ILO Convention 190 and Recommendation 206 can change lives!

Join us! Together we are stronger!