Mauritius: A two-day workshop focusing on a capacity-building programme as regards the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention Number 190, addressing issues of violence and harassment at work, opened this morning at the Labourdonnais Hotel in Port Louis.
The Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, Kalpana Devi Koonjoo-Shah; the Director, ILO Country Office for Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius and Seychelles, Frederick Muia; the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Mauritius and Seychelles, Lisa Simrique Singh; and other personalities were also present on the occasion.
In her address, Minister Koonjoo-Shah highlighted that this event will focus on discussions and activities to enhance our understanding and application of the crucial international framework: The Violence and Harassment Convention 2019.
She further underscored the pivotal role that the ILO has played in supporting the Ministry’s endeavours by providing both technical expertise and financial assistance for the execution of this crucial two-day training programme.
Speaking on Convention Number 190, Minister Koonjoo-Shah indicated that it is a historic international treaty adopted by the ILO in 2019 and stands as a milestone in addressing the critical issue of violence and harassment in the world of work. “This convention embodies a collective commitment to fostering safe, respectful, and inclusive workplaces, irrespective of gender,” she said.
In this context, the Minister stressed that today’s capacity-building programme will help tackle the pressing issue of violence and harassment within the workplace.
“In doing so, we are not only addressing a critical concern affecting individuals in their professional lives but are also actively contributing to the broader aspiration of creating a more inclusive and equitable society, in harmony with the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda,” she stated.
Harassment at work, the Gender Equality Minister emphasised, stands as an enduring and distressing issue and creates a hostile and abusive work environment which violates an individual’s fundamental right to work with dignity and respect.
This perpetuates both direct and indirect discrimination, exacerbating gender disparities in the labour force, Koonjoo-Shah remarked.
On this note, the Minister dwelt on some initiatives committed to eradicating harassment at the workplace and promoting gender equality, including, the alignment of Mauritius with the Beijing Platform for Action of 1995, a landmark global agenda for advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment and; the commitment to implement the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 5 which focuses on ‘Achieving Gender Equality and Empowering all Women and Girls.’
Koonjoo-Shah thereby reiterated the commitment of the Government to upholding the fundamental principle of equality and non-discrimination enshrined in our Constitution, which guides our approach towards fostering a just and equitable nation.
For his part, Muia outlined this Convention’s objectives, representing a major milestone in the collective quest to create workplaces free from violence and harassment and where every individual is respected and treated with dignity.
Furthermore, he evoked that by ratifying this Convention, ILO Member States have committed to taking concrete measures to prevent and eliminate violence and harassment at work, including not only physical violence but also psychological and sexual harassment.
The Convention, Muia added, also underscores the importance of promoting an inclusive work environment where everyone can thrive without fear of retaliation or discrimination.
Regarding the training, the Director indicated that this course will allow participants to delve into the provisions of the Convention, international best practices, and ways to implement these essential principles at the national level over the next two days.
On this score, he encouraged them to participate actively, share their experiences, and collaborate throughout this training so that the skills acquired during the training contribute to advancing the cause of social justice and gender equality in Mauritius.