Who are Women Working Worldwide?

Women Working Worldwide was established in 1985 and, since then, although we have worked in different sectors, with different partners, on different continents, our focus has remained the same – that is: to work with international partner organisations to empower women workers to fight to claim their rights as workers. Specifically we reach women workers with whom we have a connection in that they work in supply chains producing goods for the European market.

We are a small and nimble, feminist, women-only, anti-imperialist, trade justice, anti-poverty, labour rights organisation.

We do not ask for much – just that women workers be accorded their rights as workers. We do not need to fight to establish these rights: they are already laid down in national and international laws and conventions. But women workers are not aware of these laws and conventions and they are not implemented in many, far too many, cases.

We consider some of our strengths to be:

• Our partner led approach – projects are always developed in consultation with partners

• Our use of Action Research to discover from women workers themselves how their rights are being flouted

• Our roots in the women’s movement – we implement feminist principles of collective working and promote the integration of creative activities in our work

• Our clear and unwavering focus on gender and labour rights

• A skilled and committed workforce with a wide and diverse group of supporters

• Our size – as a small organisation we can be flexible and responsive and there is a depth and subtlety to the way we work which is hard for larger agencies to achieve

• Our advanced age – we have been developing our work for 25 years, giving us valuable experience and international links