OATUU-COTU(K) Women Commission Workshop: Recommendations

The Works of the Women Commission Workshop proceeded following the Opening Ceremony that was highlighted by the presence of Pr. Margaret KOBIA, the Cabinet Secretary in the Minister of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs of Kenya.

The Workshop was mainly constituted of Presentations, Panel discussions and Plenary Sessions. The ILO Convention 190 constitutes the main Instrument used to tackle the issue of Violence and Harassment at Workplace.

According to ILO Convention 190 Women, Domestic workers, Migrants, Workers with precarious contracts are the most identified workers with high risk of harassment. It is irrespective of contractual status whether you are trainees, interns, job applicant, volunteers. Violence and Harassment touch all sectors whether private, public or informal.

In Dr. Damaris Presentation, statistics showed that 1 in 3 Women has experience any form of violence especially sexual violence in her life. It is very important to mention that Harassment accounts of death and disabilities more than cancer, diseases and malaria.

It is believed that some of the causes of Violence and Harassment against women are poverty and war; substance abuse such as drugs; mentally ill men.

In the long and short term, the effects of violence can be:

-It undermines women’s professional and educational attainment

-It creates a loss of income hence economic insecurity

-It brings psychological distress-mood and anxiety disorders

-It affects personal relationships e.g family, marriage…

-It reduces productivity.

In achieving the Objective of the Workshop, the following recommendations were adopted:

  • Education and Training on management, prevention and elimination of workplace harassment and violence..
  • Sensitization and awareness creation
  • Lobbying and Advocating Campaign (OATUU could organize a regional, continental campaign)
  • Be the champions of women rights in our countries
  • Collective Bargaining Agreement says about violence and harassment.. Women should take part of the negotiation if any.
  • Have the rights statistics on the subject in Trade Union to know how to deal with it.
  • Partnership with the relevant civil societies, organizations working on the issues of women
  • Women Empowerment Forum
  • Mentorship program to help eliminate the violence and Harassment at Workplace.
  • Assess risks factors associated with violence sexual harassment
  • Adopt anti-harassment policies and maintain reporting system
  • Ensure prompt discipline for perpetrators
  • Trainings and Education to raise awareness on the new ILO Convention 190
  • Make sure that victims of sexual harassment and violence are protected.
  • Trade unions should draft an action plan to be taken as a road map to work against Violence and Harassment at the Workplace

The Secretary General Of OATUU, Comrade Arezki MEZHOUD reaffirms that OATUU will always support and strengthen the Women Commission. He officially closed the Workshop.