Chile: government to ratify ILO convention against violence and harassment at work

On Monday 29 August, the Chilean government announced that it will ratify ILO Convention 190 concerning the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work. According to official statistics, 25% of harassment complaints to Chile’s labour directorate (the government body that monitors compliance with labour law) are for sexual harassment, and 92% of these are made by women. The Chilean government underlines that Convention 190 represents a step forward for women, first and foremost, and also points out that in June 2019, when Convention 190 was being adopted by the International Labour Conference, Chile voted in favour of the text. “It is for this reason that the president announced that a bill would be sent to Congress, aiming to adhere to this convention,” the government said in a statement. At the official announcement, which was attended by the ministers of labour and foreign affairs, Chile’s president Gabriel Boric, of the left-wing Social Convergence party, said: “I have no doubt that [Congress] will approve [the bill] with speed.” He added that the upcoming ratification of the convention is part of a wider social dialogue policy, as Diario y Radio Universidad Chile reports. Since its entry into force on 25 June 2021, 20 countries have ratified the ILO convention.