By Milcah Tanimu

The Solidarity Centre in Nigeria is urging the Federal Government to adopt and implement the ILO Convention 190 (ILO C190) to provide protection against Gender-Based Violence and Harassment (GBVH) for women, interns, and corps members within workplace settings.

During a two-day training session titled “Capacity Building and Training on GBVH in the World of Work,” held in Lagos, the international civil society organization emphasized the importance of domesticating ILO C190 to ensure the safety of women and interns, including those within the oil and gas sector. The event, part of the project “Elevating Women’s Participation in the Workplace in West Africa,” brought together union leaders and women workers.

Sonny Ogbuehi, the Country Programme Director for West Africa at the Solidarity Centre, highlighted that a significant portion of gender-based violence and harassment occurs against women, particularly in work environments. He stressed the need for society to address the underlying causes of these issues and develop strategies to prevent them. The training aimed to empower participants, including both women workers and union leaders, to comprehend, prevent, and respond to GBVH at workplaces.

Ogbuehi stated, “Our goal is to educate not only women workers but also male and female union leaders so that this knowledge can be disseminated and awareness can spread.” He underlined the importance of building a comprehensive understanding of GBVH, enhancing participants’ abilities to tackle and prevent such incidents in workplaces, and raising awareness about its prevalence.

The training sessions took place across four different locations in Nigeria: Lagos, Rivers, Kaduna, and Abuja. Vanessa Edhebru, a Gender Specialist at the Solidarity Centre, emphasized that implementing ILO C190 would contribute to eradicating GBVH and discrimination against women in workplaces. Edhebru called for the commitment of employers to create safe and inclusive work environments, promoting women’s leadership and opportunities in Nigeria.

Participants shared their perspectives during the training. Olivet Aberare, Senior Organising Secretary Legal/Gender Desk Officer at the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), praised ILO C190 for its extensive protection of Nigerian women, including interns and job seekers, and called on the government to adopt it for the betterment of women in workplaces. Joy Eke, Administrative Officer at the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), suggested that strong policies, awareness campaigns, and negotiations are vital in combatting GBVH. Oluwafisayo Odeyemi, Senior Assistant General Secretary of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), stressed the importance of holding perpetrators of GBVH accountable for their actions.

The training concluded with a strong appeal to the Nigerian government to take action and implement ILO C190 to create secure and equitable workplaces for all.