Combating violence and harassment in the workplace & Equal pay and careers for men and women

Introduction

• Context

  France, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and its constituents and partners are working together to end violence and harassment in the world of work for all, and to promote equal pay and careers for men and women in West Africa.

  Violence and harassment in the world of work, as well as the pay and career gap between men and women, are problems hindering the achievement of decent work. This is particularly true in West Africa, where the majority of women work in the informal economy, where working conditions are often dangerous and degrading, where women are under-represented in workers' organizations, and where workers' incomes are low and unstable.
  
  This project is part of the promotion of the Violence and Harassment at Work Convention, 2019 (No. 190), and the accompanying ILO Recommendation (No. 206), as well as the Abidjan Declaration “Towards greater social justice: shaping the future of work in Africa”. It also reflects French policy, which has made gender equality a priority at both national and international level, notably during its presidency of the G7. In the context of the fight against the pay gap, France also recently joined forces with the ILO, UN Women and the OECD, becoming a member of the Equal Pay Coalition International (EPIC).

• Approach

  The project will be implemented by maximizing institutionalized research, technical assistance, social dialogue, capacity building and partnership. It will also adopt an inclusive, integrated approach, taking into account gender considerations and power imbalances.

• Objectives
  • Objective 1: Combat violence and harassment in the workplace;
  • Objective 2: Reducing pay and career inequalities between men and women.
• Stakeholders and target groups
  • the governments concerned ;
  • employers' and workers' organizations
  • private sector players ;
  • civil society organizations involved with workers in the informal economy and active in gender issues in the world of work;
  • the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) and its Conseil du Travail et du Dialogue Social;
  • research institutions in West Africa, France and other French-speaking countries;
  • the media.
• Expected results

  Result 1: Institutionalized research leads to increased knowledge of the causes and forms of violence and harassment in the world of work;

  Result 2: The fight against violence and harassment in the workplace is promoted in the UEMOA and target countries;

  Result 3: EPIC is strengthened as a platform for sharing and dialogue;

  Result 4: Policy measures and procedures are adopted to combat pay inequality in the informal economy in target countries.