Violence and harassment is unacceptable anywhere and at any time, whether in times of prosperity or of crisis. The risk of violence and harassment is even higher in crises, including during the current COVID-19 outbreak.
To mark the first anniversary of the adoption of the ILO Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190) and its supplementing Recommendation (No. 206), the ILO will organize a virtual high-level event to discuss the relevance of such instruments in the current COVID-19 pandemic. The event will bring together key experts and officials who played a crucial role in the standard-setting discussions on Convention No. 190 and Recommendation No. 206 at the International Labour Conference in 2019.
Hearing from the voices of those who crafted the texts of the instruments will help shed light on how their provisions can help prevent and address the many forms of work-related violence and harassment that have been reported across countries in the context of COVID-19. The event will also offer an opportunity for Governments’, employers’ and workers’ representatives to share knowledge on lessons learned and difficulties towards the ratification of Convention No. 190 and the implementation of both the Convention and its Recommendation.
The main objectives of the event are:
- Raise awareness on Convention No. 190 and Recommendation No. 206 and their relevance in the context of the COVID-19 crisis
- A call to action to leverage the instruments as a practical framework to build a better normal world of work free from violence and harassment while responding to the present crisis and ensuring resilience in the face of future crises
- Exchange about lessons learned and difficulties towards ratification of Convention No. 190 and implementation of Convention No. 190 and Recommendation No. 206, one year after their adoption
- Provide policy elements and relevant resources on Convention No. 190 and Recommendation No. 206 based on recent ILO publications, and identify further tools needed