The International Labour Organization (ILO) will adopt a new standard for violence and harassment against women and men at work next year based on discussions at its 107th Conference.
The ILO Conference was held in Geneva, Switzerland from May 28 to June 8 and it was attended by over 4,000 delegates from governments, employers and workers including a delegation from Myanmar.
Confederation of Trade Unions of Myanmar (CTUM) Women’s Committee Chairwoman Swe Swe Khaing said, “ILO Convention 190 will be passed in 2019. We just discussed what we wanted on this matter at the conference.”
CTUM Chairman Maung Maung said, “ILO will approve the standard next year but it will take time for governments to ratify it since they will have to amend their existing laws.”
CTUM Women’s Committee Chairwoman Swe Swe Khaing said, “Most of the cases are found in Chinese factories. The common form of sexual harassment in Myanmar is harassing female workers.”
The Complaint Centre for Sexual Harassment in Hlinetharyar Township has received 57 complaints so far and this includes the total number of complaints from Shan State, Chin State, Magway and Mandalay Regions as well as Yangon Region.
According to a discussion the ILO held in November 2017, the countries with most labour rights violations in the Asia-Pacific Region are Cambodia, Japan and Laos while Myanmar ranks fourth.
