BERITAFAJARTIMUR.COM (Hong Kong) | “For decades, Elizabeth has been leading the national labour movement and fighting for labour rights including social protection of women workers across the sectors. Her activism expands to international labour movements – particularly by organising and mobilising domestic workers’ collective power across the world. Rather than recognising her work, and the crucial contributions of labour rights defenders, HK government continues to target, arrest and harrass labour defenders under the national security laws,” Andi points out.
Meanwhile in the Philippines, women human rights and labour rights defenders are subjected to state-sponsored attacks. In the recently concluded International Labour Organisation (ILO) High Level Tripartite Mission in the Philippines, Kilusang Mayo Uno, an independent labour centre in the Philippines, shared that the mission included 34 cases of attacks against women workers – two cases of killings, two cases of abduction and enforced disappearance, 13 cases of illegal arrest and detention and 17 cases of arrest during strike – apart from the numerous cases red-tagging, forced disaffiliation and harassment.
Despite the grim situation, Filipino labour activist and KMU officer Kara Taggaoa, one of the two activists arrested and detained by the Philippine Police in October, reassures that women human rights defenders and labour rights defenders remain steadfast in fighting for workers’ rights amid the attacks.
“Women workers’ exercise of their rights has long been impeded by state-sponsored violations of the right to organise and freedom of association. Despite and in spite of these challenges, we move forward for the sake of our people and future generations, as there’s no genuine democracy and development if women are left behind,” Kara shares.
Azra Talat Sayeed of Roots For Equity, Pakistan emphasises that international solidarity plays an important role in fighting for the rights of women across all sectors.
“It is critical for activists and society and stand with women workers rights defenders as we live under a vicious imperialist system where working women are being forced into inhumane working conditions – activists who stand up for the rights of these highly exploited workforce they face brutal repression from our state apparatus, of course in service to corporate power. We can only defeat corporate hegemony by creating broad unity, nationally and internationally,” Azra concludes.
APWLD, together with its members, partners and allies, commit to continue the fight for women human rights defenders, stand against criminalisation of civil society, trade unions, and peoples’ democracy movements and hold relevant government authorities to account.**
