Health of Women Working in Factories

Location: Chimaltenango and Sacatepequez regions

Situation:

The 2007 elections won by Alvaro Colom were followed by violent outbreaks. In the current social and political climate, numerous Human Rights violations are committed, alongside a high level of corruption. Half of the population lives under the poverty line. Maquilas are export-producing factories which are linked to foreign investment, which appeared throughout Central America in the 1990s.They are exempt from some taxes and legal obligations and they create jobs. However, abuse, poor treatment and irregularities are common. Even though they have the right to access healthcare, working women from the indigenous communities with little education and from extremely disadvantaged circumstances are unable to defend their rights.

Activities:

In 2006, MdM set up easy-access medical and welfare consultations, enabling the recording and analysis of working conditions of these women. The first awareness-raising workshops on the Right to Health were organised with CEADEL, one of our local partners. MdM resumed its involvement in the organisation for preventing conflict in the maquilas in order to develop advocacy work on workers’ rights.
In 2007, MdM widely disseminated the findings of the analysis based on the medical and welfare consultations, to organise several awareness-raising workshops for women working in the factories and to identify and train leaders within this group.

Outlook:

MdM is planning on strengthening the awareness amongst female workers, to create a group of women to promote specifically medical and legal aspects and to diffuse a first diagnostic illustrating the main difficulties encountered by women in accessing healthcare.
Finally, if the project is extended until 2009, a regional meeting on the rights of women working in maquilas will take place, involving the Latin American Social Medicine Association (ALAMES), the Central American network of women working in maquilas, our Guatemalan partners and the relevant ministries.

Project start date: September 2006     

End date: June 2010