Canada is the 25th country globally to ratify the ILO Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190). Convention 190 is the first international labour standard to address violence and harassment in the world of work. Canada will be required to put in place integrated and gender-responsive approaches to eliminating violence and harassment in national law, policy, guidance, training and awareness-raising by 2024.
- On 30 January 2023, Canada ratified the ILO Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190). The Convention will come into force for Canada in January 2024.
- Convention 190 is the first international labour standard to address violence and harassment in the world of work. It applies to all sectors, and to everyone in the world of work including interns, volunteers, jobseekers and those in informal economies.
- It provides an internationally agreed definition of work-based violence and harassment which is “a range of unacceptable behaviours and practices” that “aim at, result in, or are likely to result in physical, psychological, sexual or economic harm”. Work-based violence and harassment can arise in the workplace, in employer-provided accommodation, through work-related communications and when commuting to and from work.
- Canada will be required to have or adopt a gender-responsive approach to preventing and eliminating violence and harassment in the workplace. This includes prohibiting violence and harassment in law, ensuring that relevant policies address violence and harassment, adopting a comprehensive strategy to implement measures to prevent and combat violence and harassment, and establishing or strengthening enforcement and monitoring mechanisms and providing for sanctions. These approaches will need to be developed in consultation with representative employers’ and workers’ organisations.
- Countries that have ratified Convention 190 include Italy, Spain, Greece and the UK amongst others.