Safe and fair migration
ILO Regional-Director speech on ending violence against women migrant workers
Addressing the regional dialogue on coordinated quality services for ending violence against women migrant workers organized under the joint EU-ILO-UN Women 'Safe and fair' programme, ILO Regional-Director for Asia and the Pacific, Ms Tomoko Nishimoto, explained the importance of the newly adopted convention on violence and harassment in the world of work.
10 July 2019
Allow me to start by welcoming you all to Thailand, the Land of Smiles. I would like to express ILO’s appreciation of this opportunity to join UN women and EU at this very important event as the co-organizer under the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative. Ladies and gentlemen, Just last month, I was in Geneva where I had the chance to attend the International Labour Conference and witness a historical moment for the ILO with the adoption of the Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work as the ILO celebrated its 100th year anniversary.
Its adoption took place at a time of persistent inequalities, with profound impacts on the nature and future of work, and on the dignity of people in it. With the approval of the Future of Work Declaration, Member States called the ILO to carry forward its mandate for social justice by further developing its human-centred approach to the future of work.
An approach that puts workers’ rights and the needs, aspirations and rights of all people at the heart of economic, social and environmental policies. This approach is applicable regardless of where they work. The protection of the interests of workers when employed in countries other than their own was clearly enshrined in the ILO Constitution adopted in 1919. We renewed our resolve at its centenary.
Also adopted at the International Labour Conference last month is a new international labour standard – Convention 190 on Violence and Harassment. This was another historical moment as it is the very first time that any Convention and Recommendation on violence and harassment in the world of work have been ever adopted. It is a result of several years of difficult and detailed discussions and negotiations among the tripartite partners, i.e. governments, employers and workers. The Convention provides a clear framework for action, and an opportunity to shape a future of work based on dignity and respect, free from violence and harassment.
Who will be protected under the new Convention? The Convention's focus on inclusivity it significant. Everyone who works is protected, irrespective of contractual status or location - from the public to private sectors, the formal and informal economy, and from urban to rural areas.
In particular, some groups, and workers in certain sectors, occupations and work arrangements are acknowledged to be especially vulnerable to violence and harassment; for example, in health, transport, education and domestic work, or working at night or in isolated areas. You will note that these are the sectors which often employ women migrant workers.
Furthermore, the convention specifically highlights gender-based violence and harassment, and acknowledges that harassment disproportionately affects women and girls.
Importantly, the impact of domestic violence on the world of work is also included. This is a significant step in bringing domestic violence out of the shadows, and changing attitudes.
I trust you now can see the convergence of the principles and focuses the Convention calls for and the mandate given to the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, and the Safe and Fair Programme.
As a witness to the adoption, I can tell you it was quite an emotional moment for those who were gathered the International Labour Conference. Many trade union representatives spoke to welcome the adoption in tears, recalling the sufferings of their fellow workers who have been victims of violence and harassment at workplaces and at home.
So, the historic adoption of the new Convention is great news for all of us working towards this common cause. The adoption of strong instruments like this sends a powerful message.
AND YET, the adoption of the Convention as such does not make much difference to the victims of violence. The Convention would become great news to them only if and when it comes into force, ratified and implemented by countries. We hope ASEAN governments will ratify this convention without delays.
Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to challenge all of you gathered here to become a champion of the Convention by promoting it from your respective vantage points. As the dedicated leaders and experts on this common cause, joined together collectively you will be a significant force to push the Convention forward in this region.
We all know, many studies, reports, testimonies concur: women migrant workers are at greater risk of violence, harassment, abuse, and exploitation from employers, recruitment agencies, service providers, co-workers, than men. As international migration is growing volume and complexity, the risk of violence, harassment, abuse and exploitation intensifies.
There is no time to lose. No one should suffer from violence and harassment in silence. We need to make the invisible visible, acknowledging the pervasiveness and unacceptability of violence and harassment. It is our collective responsibility to engage with all stakeholders to eradicate and prevent violence and harassment everywhere including in the labour migration process.
As C190 recognises, ending violence and harassment in the world of work requires an inclusive, integrated and gender-responsive approach which tackles underlying causes and risk factors including gender stereotypes, multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, and unequal gender-based power relations.
Contributions like Spotlight Initiative is invaluable means to meet this complex challenge. I join UN Women and all of us in expressing our sincerest appreciation to the European Union for their strong leadership and commitment to eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls through the Spotlight initiative.
The ILO is working closely with UN Women and UNODC in ensuring migration in ASEAN is a positive experience for all women migrant workers.
The Safe and Fair programme gives us a unique opportunity in the context of UN Reform to achieve the 2030 agenda and the SDGs related to improving labour migration for women. The agenda to end violence against women and making labour migration gender responsive needs multi stakeholder partnerships. Regional meetings such as this are very important for us to build these partnerships and exchange information.
I would like to wish you all a fruitful meeting, and I hope through this regional dialogue, you will find smarter and more innovative solutions, which are so much needed in tackling the pervasive and persistent problem, and in ending violence against women migrant workers.
In the Land of Smiles, let us work hard to bring true genuine smiles to migrant workers.
Thank you, Kob Kun Ka
Its adoption took place at a time of persistent inequalities, with profound impacts on the nature and future of work, and on the dignity of people in it. With the approval of the Future of Work Declaration, Member States called the ILO to carry forward its mandate for social justice by further developing its human-centred approach to the future of work.
An approach that puts workers’ rights and the needs, aspirations and rights of all people at the heart of economic, social and environmental policies. This approach is applicable regardless of where they work. The protection of the interests of workers when employed in countries other than their own was clearly enshrined in the ILO Constitution adopted in 1919. We renewed our resolve at its centenary.
Also adopted at the International Labour Conference last month is a new international labour standard – Convention 190 on Violence and Harassment. This was another historical moment as it is the very first time that any Convention and Recommendation on violence and harassment in the world of work have been ever adopted. It is a result of several years of difficult and detailed discussions and negotiations among the tripartite partners, i.e. governments, employers and workers. The Convention provides a clear framework for action, and an opportunity to shape a future of work based on dignity and respect, free from violence and harassment.
Who will be protected under the new Convention? The Convention's focus on inclusivity it significant. Everyone who works is protected, irrespective of contractual status or location - from the public to private sectors, the formal and informal economy, and from urban to rural areas.
In particular, some groups, and workers in certain sectors, occupations and work arrangements are acknowledged to be especially vulnerable to violence and harassment; for example, in health, transport, education and domestic work, or working at night or in isolated areas. You will note that these are the sectors which often employ women migrant workers.
Furthermore, the convention specifically highlights gender-based violence and harassment, and acknowledges that harassment disproportionately affects women and girls.
Importantly, the impact of domestic violence on the world of work is also included. This is a significant step in bringing domestic violence out of the shadows, and changing attitudes.
I trust you now can see the convergence of the principles and focuses the Convention calls for and the mandate given to the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, and the Safe and Fair Programme.
As a witness to the adoption, I can tell you it was quite an emotional moment for those who were gathered the International Labour Conference. Many trade union representatives spoke to welcome the adoption in tears, recalling the sufferings of their fellow workers who have been victims of violence and harassment at workplaces and at home.
So, the historic adoption of the new Convention is great news for all of us working towards this common cause. The adoption of strong instruments like this sends a powerful message.
AND YET, the adoption of the Convention as such does not make much difference to the victims of violence. The Convention would become great news to them only if and when it comes into force, ratified and implemented by countries. We hope ASEAN governments will ratify this convention without delays.
Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to challenge all of you gathered here to become a champion of the Convention by promoting it from your respective vantage points. As the dedicated leaders and experts on this common cause, joined together collectively you will be a significant force to push the Convention forward in this region.
We all know, many studies, reports, testimonies concur: women migrant workers are at greater risk of violence, harassment, abuse, and exploitation from employers, recruitment agencies, service providers, co-workers, than men. As international migration is growing volume and complexity, the risk of violence, harassment, abuse and exploitation intensifies.
There is no time to lose. No one should suffer from violence and harassment in silence. We need to make the invisible visible, acknowledging the pervasiveness and unacceptability of violence and harassment. It is our collective responsibility to engage with all stakeholders to eradicate and prevent violence and harassment everywhere including in the labour migration process.
As C190 recognises, ending violence and harassment in the world of work requires an inclusive, integrated and gender-responsive approach which tackles underlying causes and risk factors including gender stereotypes, multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, and unequal gender-based power relations.
Contributions like Spotlight Initiative is invaluable means to meet this complex challenge. I join UN Women and all of us in expressing our sincerest appreciation to the European Union for their strong leadership and commitment to eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls through the Spotlight initiative.
The ILO is working closely with UN Women and UNODC in ensuring migration in ASEAN is a positive experience for all women migrant workers.
The Safe and Fair programme gives us a unique opportunity in the context of UN Reform to achieve the 2030 agenda and the SDGs related to improving labour migration for women. The agenda to end violence against women and making labour migration gender responsive needs multi stakeholder partnerships. Regional meetings such as this are very important for us to build these partnerships and exchange information.
I would like to wish you all a fruitful meeting, and I hope through this regional dialogue, you will find smarter and more innovative solutions, which are so much needed in tackling the pervasive and persistent problem, and in ending violence against women migrant workers.
In the Land of Smiles, let us work hard to bring true genuine smiles to migrant workers.
Thank you, Kob Kun Ka