In June 2019, at the Centenary Conference of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Violence and Harassment Convention (No. 190) and its accompaniment; Recommendation (No. 206) were implemented.
The implementation gave clearance to global communities to declare an end to violence and harassment in the world of work.
Given that, ActionAid Ghana has called on the government of Ghana and other relevant authorities to, as a matter of urgency, ratify convention 190 and its recommendations to promote a healthy working environment for all.
According to the organization, Convention No. 190 and Recommendation No. 206 were the first international labour standards, “to provide a common 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 (Art. 4(1)).”
Speaking on A1 Radio, panellists with diverse knowledge from education to health acknowledged that “violence and harassment in the world of work affects a person’s psychological, physical and sexual health, dignity, family, and may prevent persons, especially women from advancing in the working space. It can also affect employment, productivity, and health.”
The panellists, put together by ActionAid Ghana called on relevant authorities to address the many concerns in the world of work.
They explained that “when your boss or manager touches you unacceptably or the behaviour and practice, or threats whether it occurs once or repeatedly, and could result into physical, psychological, sexual or economic harm; it includes gender-based violence and harassment. So, the Convention protects workers and other persons including employees as defined by national law and practice, and also a person working irrespective of their contractual status, training, interns and apprentices, workers whose employment has been terminated, volunteers, and job applicants, and individuals exercising the authority, duties or responsibilities of an employer.”
They further stressed that the Convention applies to all sectors, whether private or public, formal and informal economy, and whether in urban or rural areas.
With these theories, ActionAid Ghana called on the government to take appropriate measures to monitor and enforce laws and regulations regarding violence and harassment at work to ensure easy access to an appropriate and effective safe, fair, and effective working environment for all.
ActionAid Ghana is an Affiliate of the ActionAid Federation, a global movement of people working together in over 46 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America toward a world free from poverty, discrimination, and exclusion.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1 MHz|Moses Apiah|Ghana
