ACTIONAID Nigeria on Wednesday held 100-person rally to promote decent, safe and secure workplace for women in the country.
The international UK based group said women are more marginalised in terms of fair wages and rewards, stressing the need to improve women’s occupational health safety.
Tasallah Chibok, Director of Programmes, during the rally, said most women who work in industries and other profit-driven organisations such as quarry, agriculture, constructions among others are usually victims of undignified working conditions.
At the protest organised in partnership with Activista Nigeria, a youth movement, she cited an instance of women working in the informal sector like street vendors and domestic workers, who receive little or no employment benefits and even more susceptible to violence.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO), a specialised agency of the United Nations (UN) during its recent celebration of 100 years anniversary at the 2019 World Day for Safety and Health at Work, canvassed safe working condition for labour, especially women. This in-line with the 189 ILO conventions aimed to promote decent work for labour.
The foremost, globally recognised body is recognised to create awareness, advocating for better workers welfare, job safety as well as consequences of work-related accidents, injuries and disease.
In its latest report issued on 15th April, titled “Safety and Health at the Heart of the Future of Work: Building on 100 years of experience,” 7, 500 people die daily due to unsafe and unhealthy working conditions globally.
It thus attributed attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN to global Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)., adding that, “Everyday, people die as a result of occupational accidents or work-related diseases – more than 2.78 million deaths per year,” ILO says.
“Additionally, there are some 374 million non-fatal work-related injuries each year, resulting to four days of absence at work”.
It further recognises, “the human cost of this daily adversity,” describing it as “vast and economic burden of poor occupational safety and health practices estimated at 3.94 per cent of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) each year.”
“ActionAid Nigeria believes that the duo of federal and state government need to ensure women workers in the public, private and the informal sector have their protections guaranteed in labour laws,” Chibok added.
“They must regulate, enforce, and punish all employers who violate labour laws and women’s rights.”
Olugbenga heads the Investigations Desk at The ICIR. Do you have a scoop? Shoot him an email at [email protected]. Twitter Handle: @OluAdanikin