Protecting the labour rights of young workers: Support an international standard on workplace violence and harassment

Strengthening legal protections against gender based violence at work is particularly important for young workers, 77% of whom are in informal employment. In addition to a number of occupational health and safety risks, young workers are more targeted for violence and harassment at work because of a combination of different factors, including conditions of work, type of work, employment in the informal sector, precarious, short term work, and low bargaining power.

There is currently no internationally agreed law that deals with the many different forms of gender-based violence at work. The ILO’s International Labour Conference in June 2019 will give governments an opportunity to demonstrate their political will to address gender based violence at work by ratifying a new legally binding International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention and Recommendation on Violence and Harassment in the World of Work. If signed, such a convention will contribute significantly to helping young workers in defending their labour rights across all sectors and in all regions.