Strengthening the rights of domestic workers in Latin America and the Caribbean

Written on 17 January 2022.

On 23-24 October, our colleague Emilia Cebrián participated in the Seventh Regional Congress of Domestic Workers, which was organised by Gran Alianza Latinoamericana y del Caribe de las Trabajadoras del Hogar (the Great Latin American and Caribbean Alliance of Domestic Workers) – a coalition of domestic workers, trade unions, grassroots organisations and private individuals committed to advancing the rights of domestic workers in Latin America.

Emilia moderated several sessions, including a high-level panel with the regional directors for LAC of UN Women and ILO, and the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. Their presentations covered the situation of domestic workers in the region in times of COVID-19; the advances and challenges ten years after the adoption of ILO C189; and care as a fundamental issue for sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda.

There were also five Thematic Forums with five domestic workers panellists each (one from each subregion) on COVID, salaries, care, violence, and migration. The Forum on migration touched upon the issue of human trafficking for domestic work too.

The Forum was attended by almost 300 participants from 21 countries in the region. It was organised with support from UN Women, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres (Central American Women’s Fund), Global Fund for Women, and Mama Cash.

You can watch the Facebook live recording here.