A national coalition created by the Forum for Women, Law, and Development (FWLD) is calling on the government of Nepal to ratify the 2019 ILO Violence and Harassment Convention No. 190, also called C190. FAR member, Sabin Shrestha, Executive Director of FWLD and his team are coordinating this effort, working together with more than 25 ally organizations to put pressure on the government of Nepal. C190 has come into full legal effect on June 25th, 2021. So far, Argentina, Ecuador, Fiji, Namibia, Somalia, and Uruguay have ratified C190.
In 2019, C190 was adopted after several years of deliberation and negotiation by representatives of governments, workers and employers, at the annual International Labor Conference hosted by the International Labor Organization, during its centennial year. Nepal participated in this process.
Ratifying C190 is essential to further develop and maintain human rights standards in Nepal, specifically for women in the workforce, the majority of whom are employed in the informal sector. Ratifying C190, which provides a legal blueprint for governments to end workplace violence and harassment, will help provide protection for women in the world of work, which includes the workplace and many other spaces that are connected to it, such as public transportation, public spaces, and the home. Ratifying C190 is especially crucial after the COVID-19 pandemic, in which rates of gender-based violence have increased.
“ILO Convention 190 is a powerful tool to demand the rights of women workers, who are disproportionately impacted by gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work.” said Sabin Shrestha, Executive Director of FWLD.
Read more about C190 and FWLD’s work as leader and coordinator of the national coalition here.
The ILO held a Global Action Week to promote the global ratification of C190 and a webinar event on June 25th to discuss C190 and its ratification process in Nepal.