NLC: Many Women Passing Through Hell In Their Place Of Work

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says a large percentage of women, both in formal and informal sectors are “going through hell” because of harassment and they find it difficult to express themselves.

The Congress premised its assertions on findings it carried out at various work places, blaming it on the Federal Government’s failure to ratify and domesticate the convention 190, which discourages Gender Based Violence and Harassment (GBVH) in the place of work, as adopted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) two years ago.

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Addressing journalists at a virtual workshop in collaboration with Solidarity Centre AFL-CIO for Labour correspondents during weekend Rita Goyit, NLC’s head of Women and Youths, wondered why the government is still delaying ratification of the convention 190.

The programme held in commemoration of International Women’s Day.

Goyit said despite making commitment to ratify the convention, the Federal Government is yet to keep its promise, saying the delay has drawn Nigeria back in some pertinent areas.

“In 2019, when the ILO Convention 190 was adopted in Geneva, the Nigerian government made a commitment that it will be among the first countries to ratify and also domesticate the Convention, but that is yet to be done,” she said.

Goyit, who explained that Nigeria stands to gain a lot by ratifying the convention 190, stressed that it would make work place free from violence and harassment and will also boost productivity.

Speaking earlier, the deputy chairperson, National Women Commission of NLC, Hajiya Salamatu Aliu, told journalists how the Congress has been leading various campaigns to encourage women to speak up against GBVH and break the culture of silence.

She insisted that they would not back down on their campaigns against GBVH until government and employers do the needful to protect women in Nigeria.

Similarly, in her submission, the Senior Programme Officer, Solidarity Center AFL-CIO, Nkechi Odinukwe, revealed how gender-based violence and harassment has affected many.

She listed displacement, armed conflict, terrorism, migration and increased globalization of economic activities and COVID-19 pandemic as factors that have compounded woes of women across 36 states of the federation.

Her words: “Within this COVID-19 pandemic period, gender-based violence, especially rape and domestic violence against women workers, have risen to exponential levels as women who could get away from abusive partners before the pandemic now find they have to forcefully stay in same spaces with their abuser due to social distancing restrictions.

“We have seen a lot of women workers abused at home this period than ever before. These women workers come to work dealing with a lot of issues linked to abuse they face at home”.