The focus was on a group of organizations, known as the Maquila Solidarity Network, who are working together to mobilize resources at a grassroots level for women’s labour rights in Mexico and Central America. The goal of the Network is to build strategic relationships with donors and to lobby for funding and education around women’s labour rights.

Occupational segregation, sexual harassment, low wages and unhealthy and unsafe working conditions are the main issues affecting female workers in the region.

An impactive montage of images of labouring women brought home the reality of this situation to the small but attentive audience, and an impassioned plea was made to force large multinationals to give back some of what they have stolen from the people of developing countries.

Technical difficulties meant that the session started late and so there was no time to open up dialogue from the floor, but panel chair, Lynda Yanz, encouraged ongoing discussion around these issues throughout the Forum. Worker’s rights need to be aligned with human rights and there is a need to place labour and economic issues firmly onto the agenda of the Women’s Movement.