The humanitarian crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the unprecedented increase in gender-based violence. This has had a direct impact on women's world of work, whether it be their overexposure to domestic violence, as the private sphere has been confused with the workplace due to the confinement and teleworking that is now widely established, or the overload of unpaid care work, which further strains the unequal gender relations that affect the world's women workers.

Nine countries have now ratified ILO Convention C190 on Violence and Harassment, which came into force in June 2021 with Namibia, Argentina, Somalia, Italy, Somalia, Ecuador, Greece, and Italy formally ratifying in the last year.

While some countries have publicly committed to ratifying at the recent Generation Equality Forum(s) held virtually in Mexico and Paris and other countries have progressed in national discussions, this is still not enough.

PSI General Secretary, Rosa Pavanelli, is writing to world leaders urging them to take the necessary steps required including consultation with worker organisations, to expedite the ratification process of C190 but equally to enable its implementation once the Convention enters into force in a country.

This year PSI is focusing on

• Asia Pacific: Philippines, New Zealand, Australia, Samoa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

• Africa & Arab countries: Kenya, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa, Senegal and Algeria

• Europe: Finland, France, Belgium and Spain

• Interamerica: Mexico, Chile, Barbados, Jamaica, Canada, Panamá, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Brazil and Peru for ratification, and Ecuador for implementation

Take Action

PSI is calling on all affiliates to:

Join us in a global Twitter wave on 25th November

Starting from Asia Pacific, the Twitter wave will reach Africa and Europe and will finish in the Americas.

• Follow @PSIGlobalUnion, retweet PSI’s tweets (in English, Spanish and French), or share your own tweets and materials.

• Tweet your national governments, calling their attention to the many reasons for ratifying and implementing C190. Remember to add the campaign hashtag #RatifyC190 and #StopGBVatWork #EndVAW

• Social media : to help you, we have compiled some sample tweets (available in English - French - Spanish).

• Campaign stickers: Download our campaign stickers - take pictures of union members holding signs with the sticker - post them on Twitter.

• Also see the ITUC campaign webpage - campaign toolkit - social media pack

Send a letter to your national government

Download the model letter, adapt it as needed, and send to the relevant authorities in your country. Remember to keep us informed of your actions and progress.

Join the 16Days of Activism campaign

2021 marks the 30th anniversary of the Global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign which runs every year from November 25 (International Day Against Violence Against Women) to December 10 (International Human Rights Day). This year the Campaign will focus on the issue of “femicide or the gender-related killing of women."