The workshop was timely. At the global level, there have been mounting calls to protect against sexual harassment and rape, and seek justice by women who suffered from sexual harassment as seen by #MeToo and Time’sUp campaigns. In June 2019, the ILO adopted a new Convention and Recommendation to combat violence and harassment in the world of work, following the process to set new international standards which had started in 2015. At the national level, more and more Nepalese women have come forward to break their silence on sexual harassment, confirming that Nepal is not exempt from incidences of sexual harassment though people barely report it.

In this context, the workshop was organized with the following objectives:

•    Enhance the understanding of key stakeholders on progress made, challenges, lessons and good practices in preventing and addressing violence and harassment in the world of work with focus on gender-based violence and harassment.
•    Enhance the understanding of key stakeholders on the new framework for action towards the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work in line with C190 and R206.
•    Identify key areas of action by constituents in Nepal to better prevent and address violence and harassment in the world of work with focus on gender-based violence.
•    Promote collaboration and exchange of information among stakeholders, in order to better understand the challenges at stake and implement targeted and effective policies.

The event brought together representatives of government, workers’ and employers’ organizations, United Nations agencies, international and national Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), academic institutions, and independent development practitioners and experts from Nepal. From the government, there were representatives from the Parliament, the Supreme Court, the Attorney General Office, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM), the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MOLESS), the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizen (MOWCSC), the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs (MOLJPA), the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MOCIT), the National Women’s Commission, the Nepal Law Commission, the National Human Rights Commission, Nepal Police, the Labour and Employment Office, and the District Administration Office.

In the opening session, Ms Lora Wuennenberg, Country Director, Care Nepal, praised the historic adoption of the ILO Convention 190 which recognizes the rights of everyone to a world of work free from violence and harassment, and urged the participants to strengthen efforts at the national level to create safe workplaces for all. Ms Valerie Julliand, United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRC) in Nepal, also expressed her gratification towards the adoption of the new labour standards.  She highlighted that sexual harassment is affecting the women most and reiterated the importance for Nepal to ratify the convention. She drew attention to the fact that violence and harassment is more than sexual harassment, it goes beyond what is visible, and we need to understand and address various forms of violence and harassment.

Mr Binod KC, Secretary, Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security said that the government has prioritized to provide decent work environment which is safe and free from all kinds of violence and harassment in the world of work. He acknowledged the progress made in improving the policy and legal framework in Nepal, and underlined the importance of a holistic approach to translate the existing laws and policies into reality.

Dr Binda Pandey, a member of the Federal Parliament of Nepal, and a member of the ILO Governing Body, acknowledged the good progress made in Nepal in addressing sexual harassment by referring to the sexual harassment legislation in the country and code of conduct on sexual harassment by GEFONT. However, she pointed out that the implementation has been very weak. She shared the plan to table the ratification of the convention in the State Committee meeting in the upcoming parliamentary session. She also reiterated the importance of raising awareness among law enforcement officers on this issue.

Following the opening session, the workshop had a session to introduce Convention No. 190 and Recommendation No. 206, a session to review national laws and policies, a session to discuss challenges in preventing and addressing violence and harassment in the world of work, and a session for the participants to work in groups to identify areas requiring further action. Some of the areas requiring further action included the development of regulation to support the implementation of the Sexual Harassment Act, development of mechanisms to address sexual harassment at every workplace, preparation of orientation package to prevent violence and harassment, and collection of national data on sexual harassment.

In the closing session, Mr Richard Howard, Director, ILO Country Office for Nepal, thanked the participants for their active participation and being the strongest allies for promoting and applying the Convention in the country. He emphasized the importance of targeting the most marginalized as that is where most intensive abuse and exploitation takes place. He stressed the need for a broad range of stakeholders to work together in partnership so that we can together bring expertise to better address violence and harassment in the world of work.

The ILO Office in Nepal will continue to support the national efforts in addressing violence and harassment in the world of work by working with the ILO constituents and broader partners in the implementation of actions identified in the workshop.

For more information, please refer to the relevant documents below:
-    Agenda
-    Brief on addressing violence and harassment in the world of work in Nepal