On November 1, 2022, Panama deposited the instrument of ratification of the Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190) with the ILO. Panama is the 21st ILO Member State to ratify Convention No. 190, and the 9th in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Convention No. 190 is the first international treaty to address violence and harassment in the world of work. Together with Recommendation No. 206, this Convention provides a common framework for action, a unique opportunity to forge a future of work based on dignity and respect, and demonstrates the right of all people to a world free from violence and harassment. These instruments will be key to realizing the goals set out in the ILO’s Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work adopted in 2019, which clearly commits to a world of work free from violence and harassment, as well as the goals set out in the Global Call to Action for a people-centered recovery from the crisis caused by COVID-19 that is inclusive, sustainable and resilient.
Ms. Doris Zapata Acevedo, Minister of Labor and Labor Development, deposited the instrument of ratification with the ILO Director General at the ceremony in Geneva. The minister said that the country’s commitment to the creation of workplaces where human beings and companies are protected from experiencing harassment in their workplaces has been reinforced, something that Panama has already advanced from the Ministry of Labor. Convention No. 190 is the third convention submitted for ratification by the administration of the President of the Republic of Panama, H.E. Laurentino Cortizo Cohen, which promotes the welfare of the country’s productive sector.
Mr. Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General of the ILO, recalled at the time of receiving the instruments of ratification that Convention No. 190, together with Recommendation No. 206, provide the first common framework for action to forge a future of work based on dignity and respect, and indicated that they offer protection for all in the world of work, including, but not limited to, the eradication of gender-based violence and harassment. In this regard, it took note of the efforts adopted in the country to prevent and eliminate violence and harassment in the world of work, including through Law No. 7 of 2018, which adopts measures to prevent, prohibit and punish discriminatory acts and dictates other provisions, Law No. 202 of 2021, which amends Law 82 of 2013, on violence against women, and Law 7 of 2018, concerning the prevention of discriminatory acts.
He also referred to the responsibilities and complementary roles of governments, as well as workers and employers, and their respective organizations, to eradicate violence and harassment in the world of work, and recalled that: “At the time of the ratification of Convention No. 190 by the National Assembly, the ILO congratulated the National Women’s Institute (INAMU) and the collectives of women trade unionists for their leadership” and that “the ILO has also joined efforts with the country to strengthen social dialogue and decent work from tripartism within the framework of the Joint Program for the Revitalization of Economic Activity.”