The Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190) described by the ILO as “the first international treaty on violence and harassment in the world of work” came into force on June 25, 2021. To date, seven countries have ratified the Convention, including Mauritius, Argentina, Ecuador, Fiji, Namibia, Somalia, and Uruguay. “We at the Global 16 Days Campaign applaud the commitment of the seven countries that have ratified C190, especially amidst challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The groundwork for this has been laid over the years by grassroots and online advocacy efforts led by women’s rights organizations, civil society organizations, and labor rights movements across the world. We hope that other countries will take cue from this and ratify the Convention soon,” said Melissa Upreti, Senior Director, Program and Global Advocacy at CWGL.

C190’s broad definition of the “world of work,” includes both “private” and “public” spaces. C190 applies to workers “irrespective of their contract status.” It includes within its ambit both formal and informal sectors. Read more.