Our demands to ensure a safe work environment for women according to the Convention N.190 of the International Labor Organization (ILO).

For a long time, Violence at the workplace has been an unspoken issue, particularly because it tends to be perpetrated by individuals in positions of power (supervisors, mid-level, and senior management). As a result, male and female workers fear to complain either due to the fear of losing their jobs or because of a lack of awareness of their legal rights.

Additionally, female workers are more exposed to additional burdens due to the normalization of gender-based violence (GBV), where society often blames women for being subjected to violence, especially in cases of sexual violence.

The Egyptian Penal code includes articles that criminalize most forms of violence in general, whether in workplaces or elsewhere. However, it is necessary to include clear articles in labor law that criminalize workplace violence, to ensure that Labor inspectors and occupational safety and health officials at the Ministry of Labor have the authority and responsibilities to monitor and track violence in workplaces, and also to oblige employers to implement specific and clear procedures.

In 2019, the International Labor Organization (ILO) issued Convention No. c190 on the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work. This convention marked a significant milestone for several reasons:

1. It expanded the scope of protection beyond just the workplace to include everything related to work relationships and conditions. That’s why the convention used the term “world of work.”
2. The convention covered all forms of physical, verbal, psychological, sexual, and economic violence experienced by both men and women, whether in the formal or informal sectors.
3. The convention stipulated the necessity for the government, trade unions, and employers to engage in a social dialogue to agree on legal articles for criminalizing violence, enabling labor inspectors and occupational safety and health administrations to fulfill their roles in monitoring, follow-up, and providing the necessary support.

It’s important to highlight that once Convention No. c190 is ratified, its provisions gain the force of national law according to the article N.93 of the Egyptian Constitution. Consequently, the provisions of the convention become enforceable. Therefore, our primary demand is immediate ratification of Convention No. c190 by the Egyptian government.

Until this convention is ratified, its provisions can be implemented as long as they do not contradict the constitution or national laws. consequently, we call the three stakeholders (the government, employers, and trade unions) to promptly respond to the following demands:

For the government:

1. Present proposals to the parliament to amend Civil Service Law No. 81 of 2016, including provisions that criminalize all forms of violence in the workplace. Also, incorporate these provisions into the new labor law proposal that is currently under discussion in parliament.
2. Issuing a code of conduct by the Ministry of Labor that includes a clear definition of violence in all its forms, reporting and complaint reception mechanisms, ensuring protection and confidentiality for survivors and witnesses during and after the complaint process, and specifying a mechanism for monitoring and tracking rates of violence crimes within the organization.
3. Continue building capacities and empowering labor inspectors and safety and occupational health departments to fulfill their roles in achieving and sustaining a safe work environment.

For employers:

1. Adopt and publicize the code of conduct that the Ministry of Labor will issue in a prominent and visible location for all male and female workers.
2. Organize seminars to introduce the code of conduct’s provisions and the implementation methods.

For trade unions:

1. Raise awareness among the general assembly of male and female workers about the importance of implementing anti-violence and harassment policies and introduce the code of conduct expected to be issued by the Ministry of Labor.
2. Announce a mechanism for reporting violence in all its forms, where workers can submit their complaints. Additionally, provide necessary support and assistance to workers in filing complaints within their workplaces.
3. Approach workplaces that do not implement protection policies against violence and engage them in dialogue to enforce these policies.

Eventually, we emphasize the necessity of initiating a serious social dialogue among the three parties (Ministry of Labor, employers, and trade unions) to discuss these demands, their implementation mechanisms, and how to disseminate codes of conduct against workplace violence to ensure a safe and motivating work environment for male and female workers.

The undersigned groups and organizations:

• Edraak Foundation for Development and Equality
• Noon Foundation for Family Care
• Ganoubia Hora Foundation
• Egyptians Without Borders Foundation
• Super Women Initiative
• Gohoud Organization to Support Human Rights Defenders
• Salmon Podcast Platform

You are welcome to add your institutional signatures to the petition alongside the inviting organizations. To add an institutional signature, kindly contact any of the inviting organizations or reach out via email: salmonpodcast22[@]gmail.com