Over one hundred women gathered on Wednesday at Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza to celebrate International Women’s Day and the female workforce.
Assembling in the shadow of the United Nations, the event looked to lift up the rights of women workers who are instrumental in keeping the city functioning. Focusing on work in all its forms and the underprivileged workforce, such as those undocumented, the rally looked to shine a spotlight on women laborers while also calling for equal rights and equal pay for women across the globe.
“We demand equal rights for all women everywhere and every day. Unfortunately, women are the minority in the informal economy,” Goya, Vice President of The International Trade Union Confederation said. “We want equality and equity in the changing world of work.”
The demonstration advocated for fair wages and an end to wage theft, rights and protections for women and girls internal migrants, universal access to regularization for all undocumented migrants, and more. Those in attendance created their own signs and erected banners in support of their cause.
A special focus was also placed on domestic workers, which are made up of immigrant personnel. Speakers argued that these women often face racism and other abuses as they simply attempt to perform their duties.
“They’re often excluded from national labor laws and do not enjoy international protection either. They suffer from dispossession from xenophobia, racism, racism, from extended work hours, lack of resting wage amongst many other challenges,” Roua Seghaier of the International Domestic Workers Federation said. “It is absurd in this day and age that domestic workers do not earn a living wage.”
