Global Women's Rights Forum

I waited until the last day to see the forum-- the title of the panel and presentation really hit my passion pit: domestic work and women's rights.

The panel was made up of Valerie Francisco, who mobilizes with Gabriela, USA, defending the rights of Filipina women in domestic work and transnational issues; Maria Hernandez, who was representing Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA), a Spanish-speaking crisis hotline; Catherine Osborne; Lillian Galedo; and Lois Lorentzen.

These were a collection of women speaking on behalf of the safety issues and hazards/ dangers of being an undocumented domestic worker in the US, what types of policy advocating were taking place, what current bills and propositions in the house and senate of California are and have been on the federal even, too, and most importantly, to recognize the struggles and hardships that women face and survive.

I thought this was all awesome. Not only had I recently started interning at the Immigration Center for Women and Children (ICWC), but I have started engaging in a lot of advocacy and researching about these issues. It's crazy to realize how invisible society has created these people, how it has pushed them to the margins, how intense, real, and prominent racism and hate are, and also how much lack of choice there really is.

The growing victimization of women (and men), of those undocumented, is growing and getting worse-- but these continue to be silenced. These are traumatized, these live in fear, these often find themselves with no other choice. Are their reasons and actions ethical, then? Are they still being treated with dignity? What is missing? Why? Whose fault is it?

Recently, many groups have united and had created a Domestic Worker Bill of Rights. This would assure that domestic workers would ask for and assure: 3 sick paid days, over-work time pay, rest and breaks, and 8 hours of sleep. This bill had already been passed, but vetoed along the way. It was up again for debate the next day in Sacramento-- and these women were sure that it would be passed.

The last thing, and one that left me intrigued, was that one of the speakers called out that "Domestic Violence makes all other work possible."

I felt and still feel, very empowered.