Ha Noi, 10 May 2018 – While violence and harassment in the workplace have received increasing attention from the public, a convention by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) will serve as a useful tool enabling members to strengthen their legal framework to improve the prevention and response to violence and harassment at work. This is the focus of the discussions at today’s Workshop on the ILO Convention on Ending Violence and Harassment against Women and Men in the World of Work (the Convention). The workshop is co-organised by the Ministry of Labour, the Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), and CARE International in Vietnam in Hanoi on 10 May 2018.

“The workshop provides an opportunity for relevant parties to update on the context and progress of the ILO Convention on Ending Violence and Harassment against Women and Men in the World of Work. It is also a chance for us to assess the possibility for Vietnam to join the Convention,” said Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong, Director General of the International Cooperation Department at MOLISA. In June this year, the tripartite delegation from the Vietnamese government, workers and employers will attend the 107th annual Session of the ILO in Geneva, Switzerland. During the event, the Vietnamese delegates will participate in the second discussion round about the Convention.

“Ensuring a safe working environment does not only enhance economic effectiveness but also improve workers’ well-being and protect their right to be free from violence. As an organisation pioneering in and having long term commitments to ending violence and harassment, CARE hopes that Vietnam will have significant contributions to the process of developing the Convention and improve domestic legal regulations towards ending violence and harassment in the world of work,” said Ms. Le Kim Dung, Country Director, CARE International in Vietnam.
At the workshop, participants also looked on the achievements and challenges in the current legal framework in the field of preventing violence and harassment in the workplace. In addition, they assessed the role of this new Convention while Vietnam is now a member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and discussed the implications of the new ILO Convention on Vietnam. Participants in the workshop included members of the tripartite delegation to attend the ILO Session in Switzerland in June, representatives of relevant Ministries and MOLISA agencies and representatives from the ILO. Tripartite representatives from cities and provinces of Hai Phong, Thai Nguyen, Bac Ninh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, and Ho Chi Minh City and from international and local organisations in the field of labour also attended the workshop.

See pictures of the workshop at https://www.flickr.com/photos/careinvietnam/albums/72157694912002621