NLC, Solidarity Centre launch report on GBVH, seek punishment for perpetrators

Determined to further propagate and bring to its knees the menace of gender-based violence in workplaces in the country, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), through the findings of its recent research, has said that absence of anti-GBVH policy and the recurrent stigmatisation of victims, is exacerbating the violent crime in the country.

The report, titled “Breaking the silence: Gender-based violence in Nigeria world of work”, was recently launched in Abuja.

Chiefly facilitated with support from the Solidarity Centre AFL-CIO, the report noted that women workers and trade unions in Nigeria have found it challenging to convince employers and government officials to prioritise actions that address GBVH in the world of work due to a lack of information that affirms GBVH as not only prevalent across workplaces but also harmful to workers.

Speaking at an event to mark and further encourage NLC women Gender-Based GBVH advocacy campaign and to formally launch of the report, NLC President, Mr Ayuba Wabba, said, “It is sad that gender-based violence is not only restricted at home but also manifests in the workplace where it actually assumes a hydra-headed face comprising physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and psychological torture.

‘’Generally, violence and harassment in the world of world affects a person psychological, physical and sexual health, dignity, family and social environment, among others. The perversity of gender-based violence is that it is mostly an attack against one of the vulnerable segments of our population – women. Gender-based violence and harassment thus disproportionately affects women and girls.

‘’This is the reason we must all join hands to eliminate poverty in our country, including working poverty. This is the reason we must promote social and industrial instruments such as the national minimum wage which seeks to emplace a minimal buffer against poverty.”

On why the government and stakeholders should pay serious attention and come up with suitable punishment for perpetrators of GBVH, the report stated “that young women workers below the age of 30 and women from 30–39 years old were most vulnerable to violations that lasted between one and four years.”

It also hinted that an alarming 57.5 per cent of women workers interviewed in the course of the research across all sectors stated that they experienced GBVH in the world of work. It further explained that 919 women workers in Lagos and Abuja were interviewed and data was captured across eight sectors including the informal economy, manufacturing, healthcare, education, construction, media, hospitality and the public sector.

In part, the report stated, “When asked whether their supervisor or superior has ever said or done something that made them uneasy due to their gender or sex, 43.9 per cent of all respondents answered in the affirmative. Some actions identified by respondents that made them feel uneasy included staring, sexist comments, inappropriate and offensive comments about weight or appearance, gestures, touching, winking, pinching of the body (breast, buttocks, hips), sexual violence, grabbing, touching of inner palm inappropriately during handshakes, hugging, kissing, making sexual compliments or complimentary remarks, screaming, sending sexually explicit pictures on phones, and stalking.

“When asked whether they had been threatened by anyone because of their gender or sex whilst at work or on their way to or from work (text messages, verbally or in another form), 52.2 per cent of all respondents reported that they had suffered threats to or from work.

“Women workers in the construction, informal economy and healthcare sector were most vulnerable to threats whilst transiting to and from their job. More than half (54.7 per cent) of all respondents said they had faced threats over one to four years whilst 13.9 per cent said the experience lasted for more than five years.”

The report went on to say that its findings reinforce the need for a collective approach by employers, workers and government institutions to ensure a safe and gender-responsive work environment that enhances women workers’ job experience and protects the rights they have to their bodies, resources and opportunities.

It urged the government to ratify and implement ILO Convention 190, adopt national legislation that covers formal and informal workers and embrace the definition of GBVH from ILO C190, which prohibits sexual harassment and many of the additional abuses that women in the survey said they had experienced.

Also, it encouraged trade unions to increase education and awareness of what GBVH in the world of work is—and that it is not just about women, but about all workers; actively advocate for the ratification of ILO Convention 190 concerning the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work, including GBVH; strengthen coalition-building with local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to sustain a campaign against GBVH in the world of work.

On her part, the chairperson of NLC National Women Commission, Hajiya Salamatu Aliyu, described as worrisome Nigeria’s refusal to ratify ILO C190, saying GBVH was adequately covered in international labour standards and treaties.

She listed Argentina, Ecuador, Fiji, Namibia, Somalia, Uruguay and Mauritius as seven countries that have ratified ILO C190.

She said, “The report being launched today is a milestone achievement in our struggle towards promoting the right of every person to work based on dignity and respect, free from any form of violence and harassment.’’

‘“The research finding has revealed the prevalence of GBH thereby breaking the culture and conspiracy of silence as well as denial of gender-based violence in the world of work in Nigeria.” she said.

Also, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, called on trade unions to collaborate with the ministry to formulate a national policy against gender-based violence in the world of work.

Ngige noted that the Nigeria government was working to ratify the ILO Convention 190 as it would eliminate violence and harassment in the world of work. The minister also said the research report would ensure increased awareness among workers and the general public.

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