"If you are at the office today, it may be thanks to the domestic worker you have at home." 

Brussels, 20 October 2009 (International Trade Union Confederation):  The defence and organisation of domestic workers is at the top of the agenda of the first ITUC World Women's Conference. A former child domestic worker, Marcelina Bautista, who heads the Support and Training Centre for Domestic Workers and is the general secretary of the CONLACTRAHO confederation, is to bring a key testimony to the Conference.
 
What are the main difficulties facing domestic workers in Latin America?
 
They often have to work extremely long hours, which means they are unable to look after their own families, their own children. Most of them are not recognised as workers, and they are not covered by social security, so they do not have the "right" to fall ill. Many employers fail to understand the needs of these workers, who may have children, who may want to study, ... They are often prey to physical violence, verbal abuse and sexual harassment in the workplace, and as their workplace is a private home, it is all the more difficult for them to defend themselves. Often, if accused of some form of abuse, the employer responds by accusing the domestic worker of a crime such as theft, for example, and everyone tends to take the employer's word for it.  CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

In Latin America, domestic workers demand rights

Meeting in Mexico City, representatives from Brazil, Mexico, Paraguay, Colombia, Eduador, Costa Rica, Chile, Argentina, Guatemala, Peru and Bolivia set in motion their campaign to get government recognition of their rights at work.  Learn about their demands here.