“Cuida a Quién Te Cuida”. Care on the Political Agenda of the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Domestic Workers.

This paper analyzes the process through which the Confederación Latinoamericana y del Caribe de Trabajadoras del Hogar (Conlactraho, Latin American and Caribbean Confederation Domestic Workers) has incorporated care into its political agenda. Conlactraho, since its inception in 1988 in Bogotá, has fought for the recognition and defense of domestic workers’ labor and human rights. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and accentuated the profound inequalities that persist in paid household work in the region—despite legislative reforms and the ratification of ILO Convention 189 by the majority of Latin American countries. There was a massive loss of jobs and a decline in rights that impacted at least 70% of domestic workers in the region, according to the ECLA (2021). Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Conlactraho has incorporated care into its political agenda. First, it has used care to construct a strategic narrative, based upon justice and reciprocity, to demand labor rights in the campaign “Care for those who are for you”. Second, domestic workers’ organizations have demanded the recognition not only of labor rights, but also of their right to care, particularly for themselves and their families. And finally, Conlactraho has fought for the recognition of its expertise and right to participate in discussions about health care systems. This paper is based upon extensive collaborative work with Conlactraho, in particular with its Secretariat between 2020 and 2023.