Tools

Explanatory brochure on the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention and Recommendation on ending violence and harassment against women and men in the world of work (C190, R206). The brochure is part of the Campaign of the Education International Latin America (EILA) and the Women Education Workers Network for the Ratification of ILO Convention 190. “Work without violence or harassment” explains the main contents of C190 and R206 and provides tools to trade union organizations to promote their ratification.

Folleto explicativo sobre el Convenio 190 y la Recomendación 206 de la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT), Convención sobre la violencia y el acoso en el mundo del trabajo. El folleto forma parte de la Campaña de la Internacional de la Educación América Latina (IEAL) y la RED de Trabajadoras de la Educación por la Ratificación del Convenio 190 de la OIT. “Trabajar sin violencia ni acoso” explica los principales contenidos del C190 y la R206 y brinda herramientas a las organizaciones sindicales para promover su ratificación.

Sexual assault is a well-recognized aspect of gender-based violence at work. But gender-based violence at work may involve bullying, verbal abuse, stalking, threats and much more. The two-minute video highlights the structural foundations of gender-based violence at work, a systemic gendered imbalance between employers and workers that enables employers to get away with unsafe working conditions and other worker abuses.

This report documents how trade unions are turning C190 and R206 into legal reforms and workplace policies that improve the daily lives of working people in all their diversity. It underpins the urgent call on governments and employers to do more to make the benefits of C190 and R206 a reality now. The report includes case studies of how campaigning around C190 and R206 has already led to strengthened social dialogue and collective bargaining to tackle violence and harassment, including gender-based violence and harassment, in the world of work.

This manual is primarily for workers’ educators and facilitators as well as trade union staff and representatives, to develop training programmes for trade union staff, leaders, representatives, or members.

The workbook aims to provide activities to help: Plan and design courses, workshops or meetings to discuss violence and harassment in the world of work; Plan and organize campaigns for the ratification of C190 and the realization of the rights described in C190; Use active learning methods which encourage the engagement and active participation of union members in the campaign.

Frequently asked questions on Convention 190 and Recommendation 206

On the second anniversary of the adoption of International Labor Organization Convention 190—the first global, binding treaty on violence and harassment in the world of work—women union activists across the globe discuss their work to eradicate gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) in the world of work. Event co-sponsors include the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), Gender at Work, International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF), International Lawyers Assisting Workers Network (ILAW), International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), Just Associates (JASS), Solidarity Center and Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO).

This report documents structural violence that DWs usually face, understand its causes and impacts, and find ways for justice to prevail. This story collection showcases that DWs find no better resource against GBV than the support of our movement.

With the purpose of helping to improve working and occupational safety and health conditions of domestic workers, it was deemed necessary to develop a guide – aimed at both employers and workers – with guidance and recommendations to eliminate, prevent, and reduce the risks of exposure to COVID-19 and other hazards associated with daily household chores.

The handbook will inspire domestic workers and their organizations to eliminate exploitative, harmful and hazardous child domestic work, promote decent work for domestic workers, and help domestic workers to reach their full potential in work and in life.

La Campaña de la IEAL por la Ratificación del C190 de la OIT incluye la canción “Y Somos Todas”, creada por las interpretes Maf É Tulà y Anyul Arévalo, con la participación del ensamble feminista de percusión Toca el Tambó, y la interpretación de las cantantes Guadalupe Urbina, Manu Saggioro, Nakury, Sharow Granera, Kumary Sawyers y Berenice. Puede escuchar “Y somos todas” en este enlace, en la cuenta de Spotify de Maf É Tulà y sus demás plataformas o a continuación. La interprete Maf É Tulà realizó una versión en inglés de la canción junto a Anyul Arévalo y Toca el Tambó, llamada “Bridge the Gap”, la cual puede escucharse en este enlace o de seguido. “Y Somos Todas” cuenta además con un videoclip que incluye a todas las interpretes involucradas en su creación, disponible en el canal de YouTube de la IEAL y a continuación.

This document provides short explanations on the content of C190 and R206.

This toolkit is for all UNI affiliated unions who are engaged in lobbying efforts with their Governments and employers. It aims to support the work of trade unions when lobbying governments for the adoption of the convention, as well as efforts to gain support from employers on the use of C190.

The UNI Break the Circle! campaign has been ongoing for over a decade to showcase the impact of all forms of violence and harassment in the world of work. The campaign is structured to provide information on where the violence stems from, the different forms of power dynamics, as well as how it is present in the workplace. It includes resources and other tools.

This information leaflet was developed with the other Global Union Federations to explain to affiliated trade unions the importance of Convention 190 and how trade unions can use it to help eliminate all forms of violence and harassment in the world of work.

Domestic workers around the world deeply welcome the proposals for an ILO Standard against violence and harassment in the world of work. In this document we set out why domestic workers, our workplace, and clear definitions of who we need protecting from are among the issues that must be specifically included for this new Standard to be effective and bring about significant and lasting change for the better.

Achievements and Challenges for Domestic Workers 10 Years After the Adoption of C189.

In the past five years, the IDWF in Latin America and the Caribbean has made significant progress toward its goal of achieving decent work for nearly 15 million domestic workers (about 20% of the global workforce in the sector). In addition to a substantial increase in membership, the region has solidified its leadership in terms of ratifications of ILO Convention 189, passage of new laws, and adoption of labor reforms

The International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF) demands that solid measures be taken by governments and civil societies alike to ensure the respect and recognition of the human, labor, and women’s rights of domestic workers.

Video produced by the Global Unions Federations to commemorate Women’s Day.

IDWF’s position paper for the 112th Session of the International Labour Conference

The impact of #DomesticWorkers at the #ILC2024

IDWF made its mark at the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), the largest annual United Nations gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment, held from March 11 to 22 under the priority theme “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective”.

Relevant information and video about ILO Convention 189

Commemorative video on International Domestic Workers Day 2023

The Dindigul Agreement Year One Progress Report (2023) highlights a transformative, legally binding agreement (Enforceable Brand Agreement – EBA) resulting from a multi-stakeholder engagement involving global brands (H&M, Gap, PVH), Eastman Exports, TTCU, AFWA, and GLJ-ILRF. Despite India not ratifying ILO Convention C190, the Dindigul Agreement incorporates key C190 frameworks, such as extending protections against gender-based violence and harassment to the broader ‘world of work,’ including factories, hostels, and transport. A key feature of the Dindigul Agreement is its multi-tier grievance mechanism that empowers workers, especially women, to raise concerns about GBVH. It also includes a focus on addressing intimate partner violence/domestic violence within the workplace. The agreement fosters collaborative problem-solving between unions, suppliers, and brands, and serves as a model for improving working conditions and advancing gender equity in global supply chains.

Agreement among Lesotho unions and NGOs and Nien Hsing to address and combat GBVH at the Nien Hsing factories in Lesotho. The agreement established a comprehensive program putting into action C190 at the grassroots level, and which includes extensive education and awareness activities, an independent grievance and investigation mechanism, and broader monitoring and improvement of employer practices.

This report draws on an ITUC survey carried out in September 2023, with responses from 104 union confederations from 66 countries. This includes 26 from Africa (of which 10 were from the Middle East North Africa), 14 from the Americas, 15 from Asia Pacific and 11 from Europe. It builds upon the results of the first such survey carried out in 2022 and reveals the progress made by unions working towards safer, more inclusive workplaces that are free of violence and harassment.

This code of conduct aims prevent and address incidents of sexual and other forms of violence and harassment, including harassment based on grounds such as sex, ethnicity, race, national origin, gender or gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, political opinion, disability, age or religion.

Adriana Paz help us understand more about the implications of this issue for domestic workers and the intersectionality between gender and work status – and the role of social protection in addressing this problem.

The toolkit has been designed for trainers to address the issue of violence and harassment against LGBTI+ workers in the workplace. It includes three modules with activities designed to enhance understanding of violence and harassment against LGBTI+ workers.

The article describes the work carried out by trade unions in Colombia who are working to push for the ratification of C190 by the Colombian government.

This news article makes reference to the successful campaign led by Philippine unions with the senate to obtain a unanimous vote for the country to ratify Convention 190.

The article makes reference to the shadow pandemic of domestic violence which was on the rise as a result of lockdown measures and why it is a workplace issue.

In South Africa, 98 percent of women garment and retail workers surveyed in 2022 said they had experienced one or more forms of gender-based violence or harassment, including physical abuse, unwanted sexual advances, psychological abuse, bullying and rape. To better understand the experiences of women and other marginalized workers in garment and retail industries with GBVH, and elevate their voices in advocacy campaigns, the Solidarity Center partnered with three trade unions and two civil society organizations to conduct participatory action research.

In Bangladesh, 80 percent of women garment workers surveyed in 2019 reported they had experienced or witnessed sexual harassment, molestation or assault, endured extreme verbal abuse or witnessed a factory manager or supervisor abuse and harass other women in the factory. To better understand the experiences of women the garment industry with GBVH and elevate their voices in advocacy campaigns, the Solidarity Center partnered with six trade union federations and three civil society organizations to conduct participatory action research.

Women workers and trade unions in Nigeria have found it challenging to convince employers and the government to prioritize actions that address GBVH due to lack of information that affirms GBVH as not only prevalent across workplaces but also harmful to workers. The participatory research described in this report is a clear and targeted effort by women workers to provide concrete evidence regarding the scope and incidence of GBVH in the world of work. Nigerian women workers strategically identified two locations for the study, Abuja and Lagos, and interviewed 9193 women workers. Data was captured across eight sectors including the informal economy, manufacturing, healthcare, education, construction, media, hospitality and the public sector. Whilst the data is not statistically significant, it does offer key information about the scope and incidence of GBVH in the Nigerian world of work that is helpful to inform interventions by unions, employers and the Nigerian government to address these abuses.

This report outlines the Nigerian legal framework, the role of international human rights law in domestic adjudication, and current Nigerian law addressing GBVH and other forms of violence and harassment. It then outlines key provisions of C190 and how these protections are currently reflected in Nigerian law. The report identifies opportunities to incorporate more specific protections into Nigerian law, as well as opportunities for legal practitioners to seek justice under existing law, to ensure that all workers enjoy the fundamental right to be free from GBVH, and other forms of violence and harassment, in the world of work. It identifies key areas of reform to bring Nigerian laws and policies in line with C190 provisions and how legal practitioners can utilize existing law to seek justice for survivors of GBVH and other abuses at work.

While studies have shown the prevalence of violence against women at home and in their communities, no comprehensive data exists to document the extent of gender-based violence (GBV) at work. Therefore, to understand GBV in the world of work, 23 women leaders from seven unions in Cambodia representing garment-sector workers came together in 2018 to learn more about gender-based violence (GBV) and harassment in the workplace, and to determine how best to increase awareness, understanding and effective responses to gender-based violence in our unions and our workplaces.

While studies have shown the prevalence of violence against women at home and in their communities, no comprehensive data exists to document the extent of gender-based violence (GBV) at work. Therefore, to understand GBV in the world of work, 17 activists and female leaders of workers in three Indonesian unions— FSB Garteks, the Federation of Independent Trade Union (GSBI) and the National Workers’ Union (SPN)— conducted a series of GBV action research activities in the world of work. Below is the report they prepared with the research team.

Migrant domestic workers are subject to disproportionately high levels of exploitation and abuse in Malaysia and that just under a third work in conditions that constitute forced labor. The current research was undertaken to look at the extent to which migrant domestic workers in Malaysia are given a full weekly rest day and to identify issues which might make it easier or more difficult for them to access this right.

This study aims to complement and inform the IDWF in participating in the various actions to stop gender-based violence in the world of work – in particular, the ILO’s “standard-setting” process towards adopting a Convention on “ending violence and harassment against women and men in the world of work” and the International Trade Union Confederation’s “Stop GBV” Campaign.

This research has as its first objective to reveal the best practices and progressive legislative frameworks in the matter of prevention and protection from harassment and gender-based violence in the world of work after the voices of the DW.

The IDWF invited its DWO affiliates to narrate a case story on violence against domestic workers to increase the visibility of the gender-based violence and harassment confronting domestic workers in Asia, and to share how these DWOs helped the victims of such violence. Eight cases are narrated in the casebook, including one from the Sandigan Domestic Workers Association in Kuwait to add to the dimension of physical violence and harassment.

In April 2022, Indian women- and Dalit-worker led union Tamil Nadu Textile and Common Labour Union (TTCU) signed a historic agreement with clothing and textile manufacturer Eastman Exports to end gender-based violence and harassment at Eastman factories in Dindigul, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu in India. TTCU, Global Labor Justice (GLJ), and Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA) also signed a legally binding agreement, subject to arbitration, with multinational fashion company H&M, followed by U.S. companies Gap Inc. and PVH signing similar agreements later that year. These interlocking agreements constitute an Enforceable Brand Agreement (EBA). The Dindigul Agreement uses foundational principles and language from C190 and offers an example where C190 can be integrated even before its ratification by a country at the national-level. The Year 2 Progress Report shows that the agreement effectively implements a multi-channel grievance mechanism, which extends beyond garment factories and spinning mills to include transportation and hostels, in line with the broad definition of the “world of work” as enshrined in C190.

The LGBTQI+ Facilitator Guide is a tool for educators and facilitators. It has three modules with various activities designed to enhance understanding of violence and harassment against LGBTQI+ workers. The guide aims not only to raise awareness but also to foster meaningful discussions and proactive measures in both unions and workplaces. It is structured to cater to different knowledge levels, making it accessible and effective for a wide audience.

Video to be used as educational and awareness raising material during virtual or in-person activities.

These mini explainer cards on ILO Convention 190 are to be used as educational materials during virtual or in-person activities.

GIFs to be used as education material during virtual or in-person activities.

This workbook contains sample activities for use by trade union educators, representatives or staff members responsible for training, organizing or campaigning on violence and harassment in the world of work and the ILO Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019.

The facilitator guide is intended to be used with the activities workbook as a way to support existing learning programs and initiatives regarding the adoption of Convention 190 and Recommendation 206.

The guide is designed to support affiliated trade unions in providing short (2-day) workshops on understanding ILO Convention 190 and how trade unions can implement it.

Train the Trainers Toolkit on the ILO Violence and Harassment Convention (No. 190) and Recommendation (No. 206)

The Domestic Workers Organize against Violence & Harassment (DWoVH) Training Pack shares domestic workers’ knowledge, experience and skills, and deepens our understanding on gender, equality, discrimination, violence & harassment, and our human and workers’ rights. This will help us, as individuals and organizations, to better organize and act against violence & harassment in domestic work.

The Domestic Workers organize against Violence & Harassment (DWoVH): Training Pack shares domestic workers’ knowledge, experience and skills, and deepens our understanding on gender, equality, discrimination, violence & harassment, and our human and workers’ rights. This will help us, as individuals and DWOs, to better organize and act against violence & harassment in domestic work.

The video has been designed to explain in simple terms what Convention 190 is about and why it is such an important tool for workers around the world.

The video was launched on World Day for Human Rights to call on governments to ratify ILO Convention 190 highlighting the impact of violence on essential workers around the world.

Fight the Heist is a campaign led by over 25 garment unions in 6 countries across Asia, along with GLJ and AFWA, fighting for wage increases that would secure workers’ fundamental human rights. In addition, the campaign seeks a mechanism to remediate GBVH and other labor rights violations on the supply chains of big fashion brands. Unions are calling on brands to negotiate with them directly with the understanding that women workers’ collective bargaining power is the most important element in combating gender-based violence and harassment. In this campaign, women worker activists from across the unions and countries have built a powerful committee and are organizing in alliance with the U.S. labor movement to bring their demands to brands’ doorstep.