Kenya set to ratify ILO treaty to fight sexual harassment at workplaces
The Kenyan government is inching towards ratifying International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions of sexual harassment in corporate and other domestic work spaces.
The ratification process spearheaded by the National Gender and Equality Commission is set to be finalized by March 2024, specifically on conventions 190 (C190) and 189(C189), local media The Nation reports.
The Chairperson of the Commission, Joyce Mutinda told Nation that “on October 30, 2023, the technical working group was initiated and the adoption of the roadmap was done on November 6, 2023.”
Mutinda, while giving timelines, added that “the next step is to hold the second and third meeting of the technical working group. Thereafter, the stakeholder will be called on January 15, 2024, and then adoption by Parliament and ratification by March 20, 2024.”
The initiative forms part of President Ruto’s agenda to end all forms of sexual harassment at workplaces.
Convention 190 titled Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190) Ensures the protection of individuals in the realm of employment, encompassing employees as per national regulations, those working regardless of contractual status, individuals in training, including interns and apprentices, terminated employees, volunteers, job seekers, job applicants, and individuals performing the functions of an employer.
This convention is applicable across all sectors, both private and public domains, operating within both formal and informal economies, and spanning urban and rural areas. While Convention 189, Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189) applies primarily to all domestic workers.
