Sri Lanka has formally ratified the International Labour Organization’s Convention No. 190 on the Elimination of Violence and Harassment in the World of Work, becoming a State Party to the first international treaty establishing a comprehensive framework for preventing workplace violence including gender-based harassment.
Ambassador Sumith Dassanayake, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, deposited the instrument of ratification with ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo on Saturday.
“Sri Lanka ratified the ILO Convention No. 190, which demonstrates the Government’s commitment to respect, promote and realize the right of everyone to a world of work that is free from violence and harassment, including gender-based violence and harassment,” Dassanayake said.
The ratification brings Sri Lanka’s total ILO conventions to 44, along with one protocol. Under the treaty obligations, the government has committed to introducing necessary legal provisions domestically by amending existing labour legislation.
Convention No. 190, adopted by the ILO in 2019, covers all workers regardless of contractual status and extends protection to all work-related settings including commuting and digital communications. It requires ratifying states to adopt laws defining and prohibiting workplace violence and harassment, establish enforcement mechanisms, and provide access to remedies for victims.
The ratification comes amid heightened attention to workplace safety issues in Sri Lanka. A recent report on school corporal punishment highlighted systemic concerns about violence in institutional settings, while advocacy groups have long called for stronger legal protections against harassment in the private sector.
Sri Lanka now joins a growing list of nations that have ratified the convention since its adoption seven years ago.
