AMMAN — The
Ministry of Labor has started the procedures leading to ratifying Convention
No. 190 (C190) on Eliminating Harassment and Violence in the World of Work,
which contains the definition, strategies, tools, and procedures for securing a
work environment free from any form of violence and harassment.
اضافة اعلان
Ministry of
Labor Spokesman Jamil Al-Qadi told
Jordan News that “C190 on eliminating
harassment and violence in the work environment was presented to the Tripartite
Commission for Labor Affairs on June 2022, whereby the commission decided that
the ministry should commence the procedures to ratify” the convention.
As such, “the
ministry is currently working on finalizing the procedures pertaining to C190
in preparation to presenting it to the Cabinet for approval,” Qadi said.
According to him, the ministry urges the government to adopt the
convention, and to make it part of its legislation, just like other
international treaties and agreements, “so we keep pace” with the global
legislation.
Qadi said that
according to Article 33 of the Constitution, there is no need to submit the
convention to the
Lower House for approval, and that once ratified, it will be
published in the Official Gazette.
“Harassment and
violence at the workplace is a global phenomenon,” he said, adding that
ratifying the convention “will influence and yield positive results”, and
guarantee respect for laborers’ rights.
Qadi said that
the Ministry of Labor has various platforms where complaints about harassment
can be submitted, and once the final approval for the ratification of the
convention is given, “it will be within the ministry’s mandate to monitor such
cases” and ensure respect of individuals’ rights.
“In the first
quarter of 2022, women participation in the labor market reached approximately
13 percent, so approving adoption of Convention 190 ensures an increase in
women participation, since violence and harassment in the workplace are among
factors that make women leave and/or not participate in the labor market,” said
Morad Kotkot, media and communication officer at the Jordanian Labor Watch, an
affiliate with Phenix Center for Economic and Informatics Studies.
He, however,
told
Jordan News that there are insufficient “policies and mechanisms to report
harassment at workplace”.
“There is no
safe and guaranteed mechanism for women who report harassment, and therefore
many women who face harassment do not report it,” he said, adding that social
and cultural reasons, including traditions, are other reasons such cases go
unreported.
“According to a
2021 study on women’s safety in the workplace, conducted across various sectors
in three governorates, Karak, Tafileh and Madaba, 37 percent of violence and
harassment was inflicted by visitors and customers, 31 percent by direct
supervisor/manager, 31 percent by unknown, and 13 percent by work colleagues,”
Kotkot said.
Hassan
Al-Hattab, consultant lawyer at the International Criminal Court and manager of
the Middle East Office of the International Human Rights Committee, told
Jordan
News that “the approval of the convention is an activation of the law and an
incentive to guarantee the elimination of violence and harassment at the
workplace.”
He said that “it
protects male and female workers, so the working environment remains a safe
place for work and productivity.”
According to
Reem Aslan, gender specialist at the International Labor Organization, Regional
Office of Arab States, if approved, “Jordan would be the first Arab state to
ratify the convention, showing the country’s commitment to ratifying
international labor standards.”
Jordan has
ratified the majority of the fundamental labor standards, she said, adding that
“ratifying Convention 190 is important because it will showcase Jordan’s
interest in providing a work environment free from all types of violence and
harassment in the world of work for women and men.”
It also means that the
national legislation will need to be amended to be in line with international
labor standards, she said.
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