The Safe and Fair Programme, a regional initiative under the European Union-United Nations, applauded the Senate on Tuesday, 11 December for ratifying the International Labour Organization treaty aimed at addressing violence and harassment in the workplace.
Rex Varona, the National Project Coordinator of the Safe and Fair Programme, stated that through the Senate's ratification, the Philippines became the first Asian country to endorse the agreement.
"Yesterday, the senate ratified ILO Convention Number 190—an international treaty by the ILO aimed at ending violence and harassment in the world of work. This is significant not only for the Philippines but also for overseas Filipino workers, including their workplaces. Now we have a channel to report violations," Varona said during the Safe and Fair Working Environment for Women and OFWs, an event held at Novotel Manila Araneta City in Quezon City.
Varona added that although the ratification has not yet made it official, at least the Senate has made a political decision in support of their advocacy.
"The ILO treaty was passed in 2019, necessitating ratification. Despite the Senate's recent ratification, the agreement remains unofficial as the Senate still needs to transmit the papers to the ILO headquarters. The crucial aspect is that the political decision to ratify has been made," Varona said.
Meanwhile, Department of Migrant Workers Assistant Secretary for Land-based Services, Jerome Alcantara, said that one of the important contributions of the project in safeguarding women and OFWs is at the policy level.
"The project's most important contribution lies in its impact on the policy level. When the law was being drafted, one of the most substantial changes we witnessed was related to reintegration,"
"This is one of the department's most important responsibilities: ensuring the complete cycle of reintegration implementation. This entails providing immigrant workers with a plan and assistance for their return when they depart. Moreover, this program guarantees fair working conditions for these workers," Alcantara stated.
On 29 November, the DMW expressed its support for the ratification of the ILO Convention 190 to protect OFWs. The Department submitted a position paper to Senator Imee Marcos as the chairperson of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, presenting that the ratification of the C190 will highlight the Philippines' commitment to promoting safe and decent work for all Filipinos regardless of their country of destination.
The program conducted legal and policy reforms, capacity building, and awareness-raising to respond to the critical issues faced by migrant women such as violence and discrimination, inefficient migration governance, and inaccessible services. The guest of the event are members of the OFWs and women sector.
Claire Esturas, Senior Gender and Development Specialist of the Philippine Commission on Women, Sally Barrios, President of the OFW Negros Occidental Federation, and Ellene Sana, Executive Director of the Centre for Migrant Advocacy, were among the speakers who shared their advocacy for championing the protection of women and OFWs.
