Labour Worried Over  Non Domestication of ILO Convention On Gender Based Violence 

The Nigeria Labour congress (NLC) has criticized the federal government for allegedly failing to domesticate the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 190 which discourages Gender Based Violence and Harassment (GBVH) in work places.

Presenting a paper at a virtual workshop for labour reporters,the  Head of Department, Women and Youth, NLC, Comrade Rita Goyit while presenting a paper, said despite making commitment to ratify the convention, the federal government is yet to keep its promise.

She  maintained that  Nigeria stands  to gain a lot by ratifying the convention , stressing that it will make work places free from violence and harassment and will also boost productivity. She said it will also put Nigeria on the list of countries that promote human rights.

According to her:  “In 2019, when the International Labour Convention 190 was adopted in Geneva, the Nigerian government made a commitment that it will be among the first countries to ratify and also domesticate the Convention, but that is yet to be done.”

 She lamented that by not ratifying the convention 190, most workers both in formal and informal economy who suffer gender based violence and harassment (GBVH) find it difficult to express themselves and suffer in silence while the perpetrators walk free.

The Deputy Chairperson, National Women Commission, NLC , Hajia Salamatu Aliu shared how NLC has  been leading various campaigns to encourage women to speak up against GBVH and break the culture of silence society condones around GBVH.

She revealed  that the campaign will be sustained until government and employers do the needful to protect women in Nigeria.

Speaking earlier, the Country Program Director for Solidarity Centre AFL-CIO,   Sonny Ogbuehi commended the media for their partnership and asked that they join their voices in the campaign against GBVH.

According to him, the media has a critical role to play in ensuring that issues of Gender Based Violence and Harassment at work places are brought to the front burner.

The Senior Program Officer, Solidarity Center AFL-CIO, Nkechi Odinukwe, also revealed how  gender based violence and harassment is affected and often worsened by cultural, economic, ideological, political, social, environmental and health factors like displacement, armed conflict, terrorism, migration and increased globalization of economic activities.