In a significant step toward enhancing labor rights enforcement, Solidarity Center has concluded a two-day intensive training on gender-based violence (GBV) and workplace discrimination for key officials at Liberia’s Ministry of Labor.
The session, which brought together labor inspectors, commissioners, and hearing officers in Monrovia, was aimed to deepen participants’ understanding of GBV and discrimination while equipping them with the tools necessary to address these critical issues within the workforce.
The training’s objective was to increase the capacity requisite actors to adequately address discrimination and GBV in the workplace.
It was also intended to strengthen networks amongst individual communities and institutions to address discrimination.
Speaking Friday, November 15, 2024 at the end of the training, Christopher Johnson said Solidarity Center manages six offices across Africa and over 20 globally, connecting closely with the global labor movement to promote workers’ rights.
He emphasized the significance of workers’ rights and the critical role of ILO Convention 190.
According to him, the Solidarity Center operates under the umbrella of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the largest labor organization in the United States.
He disclosed that the Convention 190 extends beyond traditional workplace issues, framing them as essential human rights concerns that affect not only workers but entire communities.
For his part, the Deputy Minister of Labor for Manpower, Planning, and Development, Steve S. Kolubah, said the initiative is significant for Liberia’s labor sector and stressed the crucial role of participants, reminding them of their importance to both the Ministry of Labor and the wider labor community in Liberia.
Also speaking, the Executive Director for Women NGO’s Secretariat, Madam Esther D. Yango, said there should be gender focal persons at various places of work to address issues surrounding gender.
“We are also working alongside the Ministry of Labor to make sure that Convention 190 is ratified for the good of the country. If women must be safe at workplaces, the government should ratify all the major documents that make women safe”, she said.
Meanwhile, Deborah K. Davis, Labor Inspector, pledges her commitment to combating marginalization of women, saying “Women and men should be given equal opportunities” in the workplace.
Davis: “There should be a broader outreach involving ministers and directors from other sectors,” she said, adding that the message of Convention 190 must extend beyond the Ministry of Labor into the broader society.
The training initiative was made possible through funding from the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) at the U.S. Department of Labor and marks a significant step toward enhancing labor rights and strengthening workers’ abilities to advocate for fair treatment in the workplace.
