International law to end harassment at work adopted

21 June 2019

ActionAid Media Centre

Contact us

Tel: +44  7753 973 486 (including out of hours)

All media contact details

Campaigners are celebrating after a historic international law to end sexual violence and harassment in the world of work has today been adopted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). 

Campaigners are celebrating after a historic international law to end sexual violence and harassment in the world of work has today been adopted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). 

After two weeks of intense negotiations, governments, employers and workers have agreed an international standard to end violence and harassment at work - for individual countries to implement legally. Fifty-nine countries still have no national laws against violence and harassment at work, an issue that affects one in three women globally. 

Commenting on this, Anne Quesney, Senior Women’s Rights Advocacy Adviser at ActionAid UK says;
“Violence against women and girls takes many forms – from abuse at home to everyday harassment in the street. Work should be a safe place, and the fact that there has been no international law to protect women shows just how little society values women’s safety.


“A recent ActionAid study in Bangladesh revealed that witnessing a colleague sexually assaulted on the factory floor and being abused for not meeting targets are realities for working women - this is not acceptable. 


“The ILO Convention is an important move towards recognising that women have every right to be safe at work. Now we need the remaining 59 countries to step up and implement the law to truly make violence in the workplace a thing of the past.”


ActionAid UK is campaigning to secure access to justice for women and girl survivors worldwide. To find out more, visit www.actionaid.org.uk/justice. 

Ends.


Notes to editors: 


For further information, contact the media team on email: frankie.harrington@actionaid.org or if out of hours, on +44 (0) 7753 973 486. 


About ActionAid UK:

ActionAid UK is an international charity that works with women and girls living in poverty. Our dedicated local staff are helping end violence against women and girls and changing lives, for good. We won’t stop until women and girls are out of danger, out of poverty and on track to create the future they want.