Chile’s Government has announced that it will ratify ILO Convention 190 for eliminating violence and harassment in the world of work. President Gabriel Boric, Labor and Social Security Minister Jeannette Jara, and Foreign Affairs Minister Antonia Urrejola were present at the announcement.
It is the first international regulation to address violence and harassment in the workplace, through a specific instrument that refers to the norms regulating labor relations.
It was adopted in June 2019 at the International Labor Conference, where Chile voted in favor. It is for this reason that President Boric announced that a bill will be sent to Congress, in which Chile commits to complying with the agreement.
This convention applies to all sectors of the economy, both public and private, formal and informal, in urban and rural areas. It will mainly benefit women, who most suffer harassment and violence.
Convention 190 and Recommendation 206 also promote collective bargaining as a fundamental tool for workers to eliminate violence and harassment in the world of work. They present an opportunity for internal and union reforms through an inclusive approach that adopts a gender perspective.
It should be noted that 25% of complaints to the Labor Directorate in Chile are about sexual harassment, and 92% of them are made by women.
Obligations of the convention
The convention requires member states to adopt an inclusive and integrated approach that takes into account gender considerations to prevent and eliminate violence and harassment in the world of work.
This approach includes action on prevention, protection, compliance control, recourse and redress channels, guidance, training and awareness. It also takes into account third parties as victims and perpetrators of acts.
If Chile ratifies the convention, it will be subject to the following obligations:
a) To monitor and control the application of legislation.
b) To guarantee access to recourse and redress channels, as well as mechanisms and procedures for notification and conflict resolution.
c) To protect the privacy and confidentiality of the people involved.
d) To establish sanctions.
e) To ensure that victims have effective access to claims, assistance, redress and conflict resolution mechanisms, all with a gender perspective.