The International Labor Rights Forum
Suppose you are a married woman living in a developing country. Both you and your husband work in non-traditional agricultural jobs that have been established since your country entered into a free trade agreement with the US, something that has created many new jobs. Because of this change and the demand for labor, you're the first female in your family to have a job outside of the home. You are hopeful for a future with two incomes rather than one, as you and your husband recently discovered that you are with child. Your joy is soon met with concern, as your supervisor finds out you are pregnant and fires you, taking away not only your second income, but your health benefits as well. Pregnancy discrimination is a frequent occurrence in developing countries; in fact pregnancy tests are often a required part of the hiring process, only one of the many challenges female workers in developing countries face. Because of issues like these, many organizations focus on creating and enforcing labor standards that improve working conditions for women and further women’s rights.
As an advocacy organization, the IRLF is "dedicated to achieving just and humane treatment for workers worldwide". Founded in 1986, the IRLF began as a coalition of different organizations from different focuses and backgrounds that converged to focus on worker's rights in international trade. By combining the related issues of child labor, worker's rights, and women's labor rights, the coalition reaches a wide base, enabling more public support and political influence. The involvement of different types of organizations is highlighted in the make-up of the members of the board of directors and advisory council. They include representatives from the leadership of organizations such as Amnesty International, Workers United, the United Methodist Church, the American Federation of Government Employee, and Columbia Law School.
Together, the organization has established a project entitle Rights for Working Women (RFWW). Through campaigns, worker education, reform of local laws, judicial advocacy, and workplace monitoring, RFWW is parterning with organizations from both developed and developing countries to specifically focus on the ending the sexual discrimination and harassment women face in the workplace.
The Harmony Foundation, an organization based in Pakistan and a partner of the ILRF, utilizes many different sectors of society in order to discredit corporations with research, pass a Code of Conduct prepared by the Alliance against Sexual Harassment at the Work Place, offering both a help line and lawyers for specific cases of sexual harassment and discrimination, and empowering the women while promoting their rights through theater advocacy. This is just one of the many examples of the partners that the RFWW program works with, learn about more of them at http://www.laborrights.org/rights-for-working-women/partner-spotlight.
A video about the International Labor Rights Forum:
For more information on how you can use your own purchasing power to support companies improving their labor laws and standards for all, please visit http://www.free2work.org/, a project of the ILRF.
For a list of the 2008 “Worst Companies for the Right to Associate”, please visit http://www.laborrights.org/end-violence-against-trade-unions/resources/10778.
Images from www.laborrights.org
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