By: Richa Macsuedon, Senior Programme Coordinator for HomeNet South Asia A 30-year-old home-based worker (HBW) from the Jatrabari cluster in Dhaka, Laiju Akter has transformed her life and the lives of countless others through her unwavering determination and leadership. Laiju and her Early Experiences Starting as a ball press worker in the garment accessories industry, Laiju's early life...
By: Richa Macsuedon, Senior Programme Coordinator for HomeNet South AsiaThe Maldives faces significant risks from climate change. Powerful storms, unpredictable weather and fire disasters aren’t just environmental issues – they put homes, health and livelihoods at serious risk. For the country’s many home-based workers, these dangers are especially urgent, as they often go unseen and...
By: Richa Macsuedon, Senior Programme Coordinator for HomeNet South Asia Climate change may be a global concern, but its impact is deeply local, felt in the flood-prone backyards, overheated homes, and overcrowded neighbourhoods where home-based workers (HBWs) live and work. In response, HomeNet South Asia, along with Labour at Informal Economy (LIE), facilitated a three-day follow-up...
This report, the result of the joint efforts of the HomeNet International Gender Committee and its affiliates, offers a first global snapshot of the working conditions of over 1.5 million home-based workers in 30 countries. Through a rigorous survey collectively designed and implemented, we highlight violations of fundamental rights and the gender, class, and social...
This study was conducted at the initiative of affiliates of HomeNet International (HNI), to document the socio-economic conditions of homeworkers – the most marginalized among home-based workers – in the garment and footwear supply chains.
Download in: English, Russian...
When asked how many times she’s been arrested as an activist Patricia Coñoman Carrillo shrugs her shoulders. She’s never counted. It’s part of her work as a Chilean union activist and leader defending labour rights, particularly in the textile sector, for nearly 50 years. The hardship she has faced is hard to fathom. When she and...
A tragic fire in a textile sweatshop fueled an Argentinian workers’ movement to form co-operatives and obtain legal rights. Epifania “Fanny” Espinola Garcia well remembers that electrical fire in March 2006 that killed five children and a pregnant woman who worked and lived under appalling conditions. At the time, Fanny’s working conditions as a home-based textile...
Activism is Tatiana Venus Rojas Orellana’s birthright. Her grandfather was a union activist in mining, her mother, a skillful vendor, spoke out for human rights and raised Tatiana to be an activist. “She wouldn’t teach me how to cook or anything,” said Tatiana, with a engaging grin. Beginning with her university student union during the Chilean...
Carlos Mariani doesn’t need the income for his work as an artisan, but he depends on it for survival. As a recovered alcoholic, 65-year-old Carlos needs meaningful work to occupy his hands and mind, and fill his days. So, when his wife goes to work, Carlos heads down two floors from his apartment near São...
On February 24-25, 2025, in Hanoi, Vietnam, HomeNet Southeast Asia invited Ms. Maria Lucette Parrilla Dela Rosa from the Philippines to conduct Digital Marketing & Website Development Training for its member countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. The training aimed to equip participants with essential digital marketing skills, particularly in website development and social media...
