Ecuador approves ILO Convention 190 ratification

On 17 January, the National Assembly of Ecuador unanimously approved the ratification of International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 190 on the Violence and Harassment in the World of Work. Ecuador joins Fiji, Argentina, Uruguay and Namibia in ratifying the Convention. This also makes Ecuador the third country in Latin America and the Caribbean to have approved the ratification. 

“The ratification of ILO Convention 190 reinforces the fight of Ecuadorian women workers for equality and respect both at the social and labour levels. This victory belongs to all of us. It will represent a positive change in the lives of many, women,” said Faviola Rueda, Secretary for Women of the Equatorian Federation of Mechanic Equipment Workers (FEDESOMEC), a BWI affiliate in the country. 

FEDESOMEC actively campaigned for the ratification of ILO Convention 190 and was a leading voice in the region on BWI’s “16 Days of Trade Union Activism on Violence Against Women” campaign last year.

With the National Assembly’s approval, Ecuador will now begin the official ratification process before the ILO. All relevant laws will also be adjusted to align them with the Convention and ensure that efficient reporting mechanisms and social actions inside and outside the workplaces take place.