ActionAid Ghana is urging the government to ratify the International Labour Organization’s Convention 190 (ILO C190) in order to ensure a better working climate for all, including women.
When a nation ratifies a Convention, the government officially commits to upholding any of the Convention’s obligations and to reporting to the ILO on the steps taken to enforce the Convention on a regular basis.
To highlight the value, ActionAid’s Upper West Regional Programme Office, in conjunction with the Activista community organization, arranged a “Street Stand Point” event on Wa’s major streets, with the aim of increasing public consciousness about the ILO C190 and why the government should ratify it.
To express the message, participants in the “Street Stand Point” event wore black T-shirts with the inscriptions “Ratify ILO C190” and “Zero crime at work location” proudly embossed on the front and back views, respectively.
They also bore placards with messages like “Create a healthy workplace for employees, including women”; “Employers, develop sexual assault policies”; “Informal workers deserve more at work”; “Abuse Kills, Stop the Act Now”; “My body, my right”; “Stop violence, motivate women and marginalized men”; and “Stop sex for grades,” among others.
They have handed out leaflets to the general population with updates on ILO Convention No. 189, which addresses decent jobs for domestic employees, and ILO Convention No. 183, which addresses pregnancy protection, as well as the guidelines for both.
Following the “Street Stand Point” gathering, a radio forum was held to further disseminate knowledge and raise public consciousness about the movement.
Madam Abiba Nibaradun, the Upper West Region Programme Officer for ActionAid Ghana, stated at the outset of the event that they wished to create a job environment where young men and women could walk in openly and be employed based on their skills and credentials, not on any unacceptable factors.
She said that increasing maternity leave would not only provide proper treatment for their infants, but would also relieve mothers’ tension, allowing them to be more efficient.
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Apart from having the government to ratify the ILO C190, Madam Abiba pointed out that the movement had sought to get workers to enforce corporate practices to discourage sexual abuse and aggression.
Ms. Suraya Nasir, a speaker, claimed that workplace sexual abuse is real and urged the government to ratify the ILO C190 to better combat the issue.
She cautioned young women to be cautious of people who offered them employment when they finished their service, explaining that this was one of the tactics used by unscrupulous men to take advantage of naive young women.
Ms. Lubabatu Abubakari, a Beautician Apprentice, said that stopping workplace sexual abuse will offer a lot of pleasure to apprentices and their employers, since it has led to some apprentices abandoning their preparation to avoid the strain.
Ms. Ramatu Mohammed said that sexual assault has a negative impact on academic and workplace success, and that it should be eliminated. She further said that women should feel able to speak out whenever they are sexually assaulted by someone, rather than being quiet.
SOURCE: ATLFMONLINE
