Barbados’ ratification of Convention 190 reinforces our position expressed at the 108th International Labour Conference in 2019.
As I said in the plenary on that occasion, violence and harassment, including gender-based violence and harassment, is a scourge that must be eliminated from the world of work.
I am happy to have played some part in developing the Convention, being a member of the drafting committee and rapporteur to the standard-setting committee.
Since that Conference, we in Barbados have engaged with our stakeholders in sensitising employers and workers of the need to address violence and harassment in all its manifestations. We enacted legislation prohibiting discrimination in the workplace, and we are currently working with UN Women on a programme that seeks to eliminate gender-based violence in the workplace.
Workers must be able to perform their duties and earn a living without the negative impacts of aggressive, demeaning expressions aimed at them as a consequence of their work activity. We also acknowledge the reality that exists in power relations within many workplaces, and are firm in our conviction that there is to be specific focus given to eliminating gender-based violence.
Convention 190 will make a difference in the world of work. It will reinforce the human-centred approach necessary for maintaining the dignity of workers, and help to ensure that the objective of decent work for all becomes a reality.
Minister of Labour, Social Security and the Third Sector, Colin E. Jordan