Violence and harassment has been seen as part and parcel of being a nurse or midwife since time immemorial. Many have come to accept it as being simply “part of the job”. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

In the middle of last year, the International Labor Organisation (ILO) adopted the historic Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No 190) – a template for government to prevent violence and harassment against all workers. Governments, trade unions and employer organisations came together in a mighty show of force to say that enough is enough when it comes to violence in the workplace.

The Convention’s ambit is sweeping. The ILO’s Chief of Gender, Equality and Diversity, Shauna Olney explains harassment is likely to result in “physical, psychological, sexual or economic harm”. It also takes into account the fact that work does not always take place at one physical workplace; it addresses issues such as domestic work and work-related communication.

Like any convention decided by an international body, this convention is unenforceable until governments ratify it – and that includes our government here in Australia.

Ratification is the step of making an international agreement part of domestic law. It essentially requires our Federal Parliament to bring in legislation that puts the ILO’s convention into effect. It sounds easy, but our government has yet to put the pedal to the metal when it comes to this important change.

So this year, we need our politicians to take the brave move to legislate in favour of preventing violence and harassment in our workplaces. It’s the least they can do to support the work nurses and midwives do.