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Nananawagan ang pinagsamang boses ng mga organisasyon at unyon, mga kababaihan at miyembro ng LGBQIA+ na pagtibayin ng administrasyong Marcos Jr. ang ILO C190 o Violence and Harassment Convention 2019 ng International Labour Organization (ILO). Kasama ang Rekomendasyon Blg. 206, kinikilala nito ang karapatan sa trabahong walang karahasan at panliligalig, at naniniwalang hadlang ang mga ito sa malaya at pantay na
oportunidad para sa lahat.

Ang C190 at R206 ay nagbibigay-diin sa pangangailangang magpatibay ng integrated at gender-responsive approach sa mga isyu sa loob ng pagawaan. Pinatampok din dito sa unang pagkakataon ang pandaigdigang depinisyon ng karahasan at panliligalig sa trabaho na binabaybay ang mga internasyunal na pamantayan. Saklaw nito ang mga pribado at pampublikong sector ng paggawa, at silang nasa pormal at impormal na ekonomiya at kung anumang katayuan ng empleyo sa buong mundo.

Gayunpaman, iilang bansa pa lamang ang nag-ratify ng C190 mula noong 2019. Sakaling mapagtibay ito sa bansa, gobyerno mismo ang siyang dapat manindigan na walang puwang ang karahasan at panliligalig sa paggawa. Matutupad ito sa pamamagitan ng pagsasabatas ng mga pamantayan at
proteksyon sa kapakanan ng manggagawa katuwang ang mga alituntuning nakasaad sa C190 kasama na ang Gender-Based Violence. Ang C190 at R206 ay nagbibigay ng lehislatibo at balangkas ng patakaran para sa pagtugon sa karahasan at panliligalig sa daigdig ng trabaho.

Napakahalaga nito lalo para sa kababaihan, LGBTQIA+ sa mga industriyang turismo at serbisyo na may kabuuang 5.4 milyong bilang ng manggagawang Pilipino. Sa mga planstasyon ng asukal na isa sa pangunahing industriya sa bansa, lubos na mababa ang natatanggap na sahod ng mga babae kumpara
sa kalalakihan. Dagdag pasakit pa ang walang humpay na pagtaas ng presyo ng produktong petrolyo at pangunahing bilihin. Patuloy ang pagdausdos ng tunay na halaga ng sahod na siyang hindi makatugon
sa implasyon, halimbawa na ang minimum wage sa Bangsamaro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) na napako sa halagang PHP287.61, at PHP508.62 naman sa National Capital Region.

Lubhang naghirap ang kalagayan at mga isyung pasan lalo na ng micro, small to medium enterprises (MSME) sa panahon ng pandemya dahil sa malawakang lockdown at sapilitang pagpapasara ng kanilang hanapbuhay. Marami ang nabangkarote at naapektuhan sa 5.7 milyon na manggagawang kung hindi nawalan ng trabaho ay bumaba ang sweldo at oras ng paggawa.

Matatandaang noong Oktubre 2021, naghain ng House Resolution 1404 si Gabriela Women's Partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas at si TUCP Partylist Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza ay naghain naman ng HR 1167 na kapwa nagtulak para sa ratipikasyon ng C190. Nananatiling nakabinbin ang mga resolusyong ito sa kongreso sa kabila ng nakapapanahong pangangailan dito.

Napakahalaga para sa mga unyon ng mga manggagawa, civil society organizations, kababaihan at LGBTQIA+ na mga manggagawa, mga peminista, aktibista, impormal at migranteng manggagawa na kolektibong kumilos upang magbigay daan sa isang mundong malaya sa lahat ng uri ng karahasan na kritikal sa demokratikong lipunan. Ipaglaban natin karapatan ng lahat ng kababaihan sa isang daigdig ng trabahong walang karahasan at diskriminasyon, kabilang ang mga porma ng karahasan at panliligalig na
nakabatay sa kasarian.

#RatifyC190 ngayon na!

Ang RATIFY C190 NOW! online signature campaign ay naglalayong magsulong at magpalawak ng kamalayan upang matulak ang gobyerno bilang Member State ng ILO na pagtibaying ang ILO C190, bigyang proteksyon ang manggagawang Pilipino laban sa karahasan, diskrimasyon, at panliligalig, lalo ang ang gender-based violence sa paggawa.

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We, workers, trade unions, workers’ organizations, women and members of the LGBTQIA+ in the Philippines, call on the Philippine Government and the Administration of Marcos, Jr. to RATIFY C190 NOW. C190 is the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 190 on violence and harassment in the world of work or the Violence and Harassment Convention 2019. It was adopted by various workers, unions, employers, and governments on 21 June 2019 in recognition of the right of every person to a world of work free from violence and harassment, including gender-based violence (GBV) and harassment.

Moreover, it also recognizes that violence and harassment in the world of work can constitute human rights violation or abuse, and that violence and harassment is a threat to equal opportunities, thus, unacceptable and incompatible with decent work. C190 is first of its kind and is considered as a historical milestone setting an international labor standard. As such, it aims to give protection to the workers and employees, irrespective of their employment status, and applies whether such employment is in private or public, and formal or informal sectors. Along with C190 is the Recommendation 206 (R206), which sets the framework of the policies for the full implementation of the former.

According to the ILO, one (1) out of three (3) women in international scale is a victim of physical and/or sexual abuse before the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic. Such ordeal worsens during this time of pandemic, both among women and children.

THERE IS AN URGENT NECESSITY TO RATIFY C190 NOW.
Once ratified, the Philippine Government as a as a State-Party will have the obligation to ensure the promotion of a general work environment of zero tolerance to violence and harassment. Such goal can be achieved through enacting laws, regulations, and measures specifically defining and prohibiting violence and harassment in the world of work, including GBV.

This is crucial preeminently in the context of the Philippines where there is prevalence of gendered labor, wage gap, and displacement of workers due to pandemic. Gendered labor, in particular, permeates in the service sector and tourism industry, both employing around 5.4 million Filipinos in total. In sugar plantations, which is one of the core industries in the country, women
workers receive wages much lower than the wages being received by men counterparts. Moreso, the extensive wage gap between the current minimum wage and family living wage (FLW) is widened by skyrocketing oil price currently pegged at around PhP81.00 to PhP89.00 per liter and
proceeded by inflated prices of basic goods and services. This transpires while the real minimum wage is stagnant at the range of PhP 287.61 in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to PhP P508.02 in the National Capital Region (NCR).
(https://nwpc.dole.gov.ph/stats/current-real-minimum-wage-rates/)

During the pandemic, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) in the Philippines took heftier burden as they were forced to close down due to a series of lockdowns. Such circumstance eventually led MSMEs to be plagued with bankruptcy and cessation of operation affecting around 5.7 Filipino workers they employed, either through termination of jobs or
shortened work hours or reduced wages.

Notwithstanding the importance, necessity, and timeliness to RATIFY C190 NOW, House Resolution in the House of Representatives seeking such ratification remain to be pending.

Underscoring the universal right of all women to a world of work free from harassment, gender-based violence, and equal wages and work opportunities essential in a democratic society, C190 ratification and its full implementation alongside R206 is a must. It is high time for workers’ unions, civil society organizations, women and LGTQI+ workers, feminists, activists,
and migrant workers to impel C190 ratification and to collectively fight for a society upholding their welfare and free from all forms of violence.

Protect the Workers! Prevent Violence and Harassment! RATIFY C190 NOW!

RATIFY C190 NOW! signature campaign aims to raise awareness and build a broad constituency that will push for the Philippine Government as a Member State of the ILO to ratify ILO C190 and eliminate all forms of violence and harassment, especially gender-based violence.