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Ghana’s Labor Law 651 is being revised to address sexual harassment and other emerging trends of violence against women in the workplace.
The head of the International / Gender Bureau of the Ministry of Employment and Industrial Relations, Ms Ruth Ferkah Kyere, said this at a meeting organized by the Gender Center for Development Empowerment (GenCED) in Accra.
The meeting, which brought together stakeholders from the Trade Union Congress, the National Labor Commission, the Ministries of Gender, Children and Social Protection and the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations, had as its theme: “Mitigation of violence and sexual harassment against women in the workplace. “
Ms. Kyere, Deputy Director of Human Resources at the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations, said her team was reviewing the Labor Law, Law 651, which was passed in 2003 with their social partners, including the Trade Union Congress (TUC) that it’s coming. with the necessary recommendations.
The Ghana Labor Law 2003, in its section 175, defines sexual harassment as unwanted, offensive or inopportune sexual advances or requests made by an employer, a superior official or a co-worker, whether the worker is male or woman.
Currently, there are no laws to protect women from sexual harassment, however, the Labor Law requires the employer to take action against harassment in the workplace.
Referring to the Legislative Instrument (LI), which was recently passed on domestic work in Ghana, Ms Kyere said that the LI had come to regulate the work of domestic workers in the country.
According to her, people who employed domestic workers (domestic helpers, cleaners and gardeners) should now see domestic work as a “job” and hire those employees appropriately.
He said that the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations was going to undertake awareness raising on domestic work so that workers and employers are aware of the various laws on domestic workers.
Ms. Kyere noted that not all workplaces currently have a sexual harassment policy, adding that her Ministry was seeking with various institutions to implement sexual harassment policies.
He said the Ministry was willing to facilitate meetings on sexual harassment and offer the necessary support to reduce sexual harassment in Ghana.
Ms. Kyere said that Ghana was studying recent international labor conventions and fine-tuning sexual harassment in the context of Ghana.
Sexual harassment is a common complaint and problem in the work environment around the world.
According to the Domestic Violence Victims and Support Unit (DOVVSU), more than 60% of Ghanaian women experience sexual harassment in the workplace and in higher education institutions.
Ghana’s Labor Law prohibits sexual harassment in the workplace, however, many institutions do not have policies that address sexual harassment in the workplace.
However, the public administration has codes of conduct for all workers.
