CARE International has welcomed the decision for a new International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on “Ending violence and harassment in the world of work”. This mean that in the future countries will have to adopt national legislation to tackle workplace violence and harassment.
Glen Tarman, Global Head of Policy and Advocacy at CARE International, said:
“CARE welcomes the agreement to establish the first-ever global treaty to end violence and harassment. It has the potential to change the lives of millions of women and girls who suffer disproportionate levels of abuse at work, often in the lowest paid and most hazardous jobs.
“That there will be an ILO Convention is a testament to the voices being raised worldwide for everyone to be safe from violence and harassment at work – from Hollywood to the world’s most exploited people. CARE and partners are proud to have played a part in campaigning for this new treaty.
“CARE is pleased to see business beginning to come out in support of the ILO Convention. CARE calls on progressive business voices worldwide to actively support a strong treaty and robust guidelines and to ensure employers play a positive role in the negotiations to June 2019 so they are on the right side of history in forging a landmark global agreement to end violence and harassment in the world of work.
“Workers in global supply chains are at risk of violence and harassment due to pressure for quick turnarounds and low overheads, be it for fast fashion or supermarkets. Companies need to understand how to tackle violence and harassment in their complex supply chains.”
CARE Cambodia has already been spearheading this work in the Cambodian garment industry. The below video shows the impact that prevention of violence is having on women, employers and the industry.
Further information about the agreement and CARE's global response to this can be found here.