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Sign our petition to end harassment and violence against women at work in Ireland and abroad

End Gender-Based Violence and Harassment at Work

Nurjan, garment worker 60 hours work per week.

Garment worker from Bangladesh. Photo by Fabeha Monir/ActionAid

Until recently, there was no International Labour Standard to address Gender-based Violence (GBV) and Harassment in the World of Work. The ILO Convention seeks to address this but it must be ratified by each country’s government in order for it to take effect.

By signing this petition, you are urging our government to implement this law and thus beginning a positive change for workers across the world.

Tell the Ministers Heather Humphreys and Charlie Flanagan that you want Ireland to be one of the first* countries in the world to ratify the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention.

Sign now.

Dear Minister Donohoe and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, We all pay tax, but right now, big companies aren’t paying their fair share. This takes billions of dollars away from vital public services every year and the world’s poorest people are suffering as a result. ActionAid’s research found that Alphabet, Facebook, and Microsoft are exploiting loopholes in global tax policy to avoid paying as much as $2.8 billion (€2.3 billion) in tax revenue in developing countries. The income lost from the ‘tax gap’ could have been used to pay for 729,010 nurses, 770,649 midwives or 879,899 primary school teachers annually in 20 countries across Africa, Asia, and South America. Women and young people are paying the price for an outdated system that has allowed big multinational companies to rack up huge profits while contributing little or nothing towards public services in developing countries. Multinational corporations are currently not required by law to publicly disclose how much tax they pay in each country where they operate. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Greater transparency could stop this from happening by allowing countries to see what multinationals are paying and where. If big companies reported this information publicly, on a country-by-country basis, governments, citizens, and journalists could monitor the movement of money and ensure appropriate tax is paid in all countries, including those that need it most. Ireland should move immediately to remove its opposition to public country-by-country reporting. We call on you to support greater transparency and tax justice by voting in favour of public country-by-country reporting at the European Council meeting on 25th February. In a time of unprecedented health and economic crisis, it is imperative that everybody, including large multinationals, are fully accountable and paying their fair share. Sincerely, [Your name here]

*By being one of the first to ratify the convention, the Irish Government will lead the way for other countries to adopt the Convention faster and will create an opportunity to change the law in low-income countries.

Petition: End violence and harassment at work!

Actions Taken / Goal 5,000

Overview
petition

By signing this petition you are signing the following statement: I support the Government of Ireland’s ratification of the ILO Convention 190 “Ending violence and harassment in the world of work.” In order to realise this ambition, I ask the Irish Government to oblige companies, through a series of effective incentives and disincentives measures, to take actions to eliminate all forms of harassment and violence against women in their supply chains, including in other countries.

About the petition

The world’s Governments, employers and workers adopted the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 190 in June 2019. The Irish Government, IBEC and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions were active participants in the negotiations – now we want to see it become law in Ireland.

The Irish government played an important role in getting this Convention adopted and is working to ratify it in Ireland. But we can do more!

Ratification of this Convention is an opportunity to update Irish legislation to require companies to address sexual violence throughout their supply chain, including in other countries. The Programme for Government commits to examining the need for mandatory human rights due diligence. This is an opportunity to review and update legislation accordingly and ensure it is in line with the standards set out in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights which ask States and companies to prevent, address and remedy human rights abuses committed in business operations.

Sign the Petition!

I support the Government of Ireland’s ratification of the ILO Convention 190 “Ending violence and harassment in the world of work.”

Add your name to help women like Rahima

Rahima*35, is a garment worker in Bangladesh. She works 12-hour days and is often underpaid, meaning that finds it difficult to pay for her three children to go to school. On top of this, she faces sexual harassment in the workplace that makes her life even harder.

“Sexual harassment is happening everywhere,” says Rahima. “If we can get a law that can give girls immediate justice, only then will the harassment situation change.”

*Pseudonyms have been used to protect women workers’ identities.

Photo by Fabeha Monir/ActionAid

Abuse isn’t in anyone’s job description.

Sexual harassment is a violation of human rights.

Around 35% of women – 818 million women globally – over the age of 15 have experienced sexual or physical violence at home, in their communities or in the workplace.

Take action to end violence and harassment at work.

Sign our petition today.

Industries such as Electronics, Toys, Garment / Fast-Fashion and Agriculture are all repeat offenders when it comes to dangerous and undignified working conditions. These industries are often based in lower income countries, where employment laws offer far less protection against violence and harassment. Many of these same products are distributed and sold in Ireland by Irish companies.

According to article 9 of ILO Convention 190, “Each Member shall adopt laws and regulations requiring employers to take appropriate steps commensurate with their degree of control to prevent violence and harassment in the world of work, including gender-based violence and harassment.” Following the ratification of the Convention, Irish legislation ought to oblige companies, through a series of effective incentive and disincentive measures, to take actions to eliminate all forms of harassment and violence against women in their supply chains. They should clearly state to all business partners that harassment and violence at work are not allowed and require their business partners to develop a reporting and handling procedure and make it known to all workers. Sexual harassment and gender-based violence are serious human rights violations and companies should not tolerate them in any of their activities.

Garment worker in Bangladesh

What is the convention?

The world’s Governments, employers and workers adopted the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 190 “Ending violence and harassment in the world of work” in June 2019. The Irish Government, IBEC and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions were active participants in the negotiations – now we want to see it become law in Ireland.

Why should Ireland be one of the first to ratify the convention and adopt its recommendations?

By being one of the first to ratify the convention, the Irish Government will lead the way for other countries to adopt the Convention faster and will create an opportunity to change the law in low-income countries.

ActionAid’s research into Irish law shows that while our laws are already largely compliant with the Convention, the time and expertise necessary to understand it could make it inaccessible to the most vulnerable in society. Laws that protect workers from violence and harassment appear within five different pieces of legislation. It’s likely that marginalised, migrant, and low-income workers could be unaware of their rights under Irish law. The Recommendation (R206) for the Convention includes strategies to ensure all workers are aware of their rights which could improve the lives of our most vulnerable workers.

As part of the adoption of the Convention, the Irish Government ought to update Irish legislation to oblige companies, through a series of effective incentives and disincentives measures, to take actions to eliminate all forms of harassment and violence against women in their supply chains.

Industries such as electronics, toys, entertainment, garment / fast-fashion and agriculture are all repeat offenders when it comes to dangerous and undignified working conditions. These industries are often based in lower-income countries, where employment laws offer far less protection against violence and harassment.