Tema, March 8, GNA – Ms. Esther Tawiah, Executive Director of the Gender Centre for Empowering Development (GenCED), has called for the government to ratify the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Convention (190) to protect people against all forms of harassment.
This, she said, would help provide strong protection for, especially, women who were being harassed at workplaces but unable to speak out for fear of victimisation.
She made the call at a forum held by the Tema Regional Office of the Ghana News Agency to celebrate the International Women’s Day.
“Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow, recognising the contribution of women and girls around the world, who are leading the charge on climate change adaptation, mitigation, and response, to build a more sustainable future for all” was the theme chosen for this year’s event.
Ms. Tawiah said the findings of a research they conducted in six of the regions of the country showed that many women were suffering harassment at their workplaces.
Her organisation was therefore determined to push for the ratification of the ILO convention to stop the gander-based aggressive pressure and intimidation.
She noted that the gender laws in Ghana including the Domestic Violence law were domestic-related and did not give protection to women against harassment at the workplace.
“All our existing laws in Ghana are domestic and on marital issues, how do we address public and work-life, who do you report to when being harassed at work?’
She said although they were building the capacity of women to stand their grounds and speak up, in such cases, they would not relent in pushing the government to do its part by ratifying the convention.
The ILO Convention 190 which is popularly known as C190 was adopted on June 21, 2019 after consideration at the 108th session of the General Conference in Geneva.
It provides for the respect, promotion and realisation by countries of the right of everyone to a world of work free from violence and harassment.
Countries are expected to put in place relevant policies to address violence and harassment – implement measures to prevent and combat violence and harassment.
Source: Ghana News Agency
Add Comment