Violence and Harassment

Albania ratifies the Violence and Harassment Convention

Albania becomes the 13th country in the world, and the 5th country in Europe, to ratify Convention No. 190.

News | 06 May 2022
On 6 May 2022, Albania deposited the instrument of ratification of the Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190) with the Director-General of the ILO. By submitting the instrument of ratification, Albania reaffirms its commitment towards the fight against the violence and harassment in the world of work. It becomes the 13th country in the world, and the 5th country in Europe, to ratify Convention No. 190.

Together with Recommendation No. 206, Convention No. 190 provides a clear and wide framework for action and a unique opportunity to shape a future of work based on dignity and respect, free from violence and harassment. These instruments – the first of the ILO’s second century – also reaffirm the ILO’s crucial standard-setting role. They are tangible evidence of the enduring value and strength of social dialogue and tripartism, and social dialogue and tripartism will be essential to implementing them at national level.

With a broad scope, the Convention is the first international treaty to articulate explicitly and operationalize the right of everyone, irrespective of their contractual status, to a world of work free from violence and harassment. It provides the first international definition of violence and harassment in the world of work, including gender-based violence and harassment, and recognizes that such behaviours can constitute a violation or abuse.

The Convention requires ratifying member States to adopt, in consultation with representative employers’ and workers’ organizations, an inclusive, integrated and gender-responsive approach to prevent and eliminate violence and harassment in the world of work, through action on prevention, protection, enforcement and remedies as well as guidance, training and awareness raising. It also recognizes the different and complementary roles and functions of governments, and employers and workers and their respective organizations, taking into account the varying nature and extent of their respective responsibilities.

Convention No.190 provides a global framework for action and a unique opportunity to shape a future of work based on dignity and respect. These instruments will be key to achieve the objectives set by the ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work , adopted in 2019, that clearly commits to a world of work free from violence and harassment, and more recently, and by the ILO’s Global call to action for a human-centred recovery from the COVID-19 crisis that is inclusive, sustainable and resilient.

In depositing the official instrument of ratification at the ceremony held at the ILO in Geneva, H.E. Ms Ravesa Lleshi, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Albania to the United Nations Office and other International Organisations in Geneva, stated: “I am honoured to deposit Albania’s instrument of ratification of the ILO’s Convention on Violence and Harassment. Violence and harassment are unacceptable and the antithesis of decent work. By ratifying C190, we go beyond acknowledging the pervasiveness and unacceptability of violence and harassment in the world of work, which is important in and of itself. We commit to closing the regulatory gap in addressing violence and harassment, including gender-based violence, under both national and international instruments. And we commit to continue our engagement with the ILO in fighting violence and harassment, and promoting and protecting human dignity, gender equality and the empowerment of women in the workplace.”

Receiving the instrument of ratification of Convention No. 190, the Director-General, Mr Guy Ryder, declared that:  “Convention No.190 and its Recommendation represent a piece of paramount importance towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly Sustainable Development Goals 5 (gender equality) and 8 (decent work and economic growth). The framework provided by these instruments set out important protections for the world of work. The COVID-19 pandemic, and its dramatic human and economic consequences, have highlighted the need to further strengthen actions to prevent and address it, with many occurrences of work-related violence and harassment being reported in the world since the outbreak began, particularly against women and vulnerable groups of persons. Through this ratification, Albania not only undertakes formally to implement and enforce the provisions of the Convention, but it also strongly reaffirms its commitment to the protection and respect of human rights and social justice for all”.

Convention No.190 will enter into force in Albania one year after the instrument of ratification is deposited with the ILO. To date, Albania has ratified 55 ILO Conventions and 2 Protocols (of which 45 are in force). For further information, see NORMLEX database.