Workers at a disposblae face mask factor in Biñan, Laguna. ILO Convention No. 190 will recognize the right of every employee to a world free from violence and harassment. (File photo by MARIANNE BERMUDEZ / Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate has taken a step closer to ratifying the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention No. 190 as Senate Resolution No. 877 gets sponsored in the plenary.
The convention aims to create a framework recognizing the right of every employee to a world free from violence and harassment, including gender-based violence and harassment.
Sen. Imee Marcos, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, sponsored the measure on Tuesday.
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“Violence and harassment at work is one of the most widespread and pervasive human rights violations in the world. It threatens equal opportunity, destroys human dignity and finally, degrades the entire society in which such violence persists,” Marcos said in her sponsorship speech.
“ILO Convention No. 190, and the accompanying Recommendation No. 206, is the first treaty to recognize the fundamental right of everyone to a world of work free from violence and harassment. It provides the first internationally agreed single definition of violence and harassment at work, defining it as a range of unacceptable behaviors and practices that aim at, result in, or are likely to result in physical, psychological, sexual or economic harm, and includes gender-based violence and harassment,” she added.
Marcos noted that the protection of the convention would cover for all workers — whether regular or contractual, whether in the public or private sector. She added that it also includes interns, volunteers, beginners, trainees, and even job applicants.
“The convention will also help overseas Filipino workers who often have limited knowledge of how to hold accountable those who harass them at work and fear that they may be reprimanded when they report,” Marcos said.
In a separate statement issued Tuesday, Marcos said 36 countries have already ratified the treaty, but the Philippines “could be the first Asian country to do so.”
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. earlier asked the Senate to adopt ILO No. 190.
After examining the convention’s text, he said found it advisable for the Senate to ratify the measure.